PCHS Bulletin- Amelia Capellan
Published Date- January 22, 2026
After Parrish Community High School classes participated in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Art Contest, sophomore Maya Ramos was recognized for her advancement into the finalist show at the Palmetto Youth Center which took place on Thursday, January 7.
This recognition was highlighted by Cary Jones, PCHS Commercial Art teacher and Yearbook Advisor. Jones is very proud of this achievement by Ramos and hopes that she will be able to bring her out of her shell to be proud of her work and potentially participate in more events such as this.
“This is an amazing accomplishment for her. She is very quiet, and I am working on her confidence and to be proud of her work. I am looking forward to attending and seeing her excel.” Says Jones
Ramos feels very proud of her accomplishment as finalist as well and feels that it has helped her connect with others.
“I feel really grateful and proud. Being chosen as a finalist and placing second means a lot because it shows that my work and the message behind it connected with people.” She states.
The piece entered by Ramos into the contest is a grayscale drawing which captures the essence of the theme “Mission Possible: Our Youth Dreaming Big, Acting Bold; Part of the Solution” through her eyes.
“To me, the piece shows kids working together to create equity and equality. The robot represents building a better future and bringing people together, and the wrench stands for problem-solving and the ability to fix and improve things.” Says Ramos.
Becoming a finalist for the MLK Student Art Contest could just be the beginning of Ramos’ artistic career. Jones believes that Maya could achieve so much more as long as she continues to believe in her work. “She is the future of our Art Department,” said Jones.
This contest has been beneficial to Ramos’ confidence in showing off her work and she feels she will be participating in more contests in the future.
When asked if she plans to join more contests soon, Ramos responded: “Yes, definitely.”
“This experience gave me more confidence in my work and made me want to keep challenging myself and putting my art out there,” reflected Ramos.