Youth
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December 20, 2014 - January 2, 2015
27
Animation student credits Seton Catholic Prep for success BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
When Elizabeth Hopwood began drawing in Cyd Totten’s art class at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School, the teacher knew she was witnessing something special. “She is extraordinary, in terms that she could draw on both sides of the brain at the same time,” Totten says. “She was second in her class and extremely gifted in the art field.” A freshman animation student at DePaul University in Chicago, Hopwood was recently given the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and scores of three or higher on five or more of the exams. Other honored students were Janek Benigno of Chandler; Cole Dieterle and Emily Jackman from Gilbert; and Connor Companik from Tempe. Hopwood, an 18-year-old Chandler resident, says she believes her advanced placement classes at Seton Catholic helped prepare her for college. She learned stellar study habits and “better ways of thinking critically.” “The credit earned from the AP art history test in particular counted toward one of the required classes for my major and gave me a solid background in fundamental art concepts for my design-related classes,” Hopwood says. “Being in AP
Whitening •
TRAVEL: Elizabeth Hopwood, a Chandler resident and graduate of Seton Catholic Prep, is attending DePaul University in Chicago and studying animation.. Submitted photo government and politics at Seton taught me the importance of being an informed citizen and increased my confidence in defending my own opinions.”
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Admittedly shy, Hopwood says that participating in extracurricular activities at Seton brought her out of her shell. “It took me a while to get involved
with things, especially when you’re a little bit timid,” she says. “I became involved in art club; simple stuff at first. I gradually got more comfortable with my place there.” Hopwood has won multiple awards for her work. Among them, she was a national art finalist for the 2013 Young Artists and Authors Showcase, sponsored by Sister Cities International, which, for 25 years, has given young people an opportunity to artistically express their visions for a better world. Hopwood doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t interested in art or creative writing. “I love to draw and have loved it since I was very small,” says Hopwood. “I would write stories and not necessarily always fiction. I do love fiction though. I write critically a lot, which is interesting. “It’s still a great passion of mine to write fictionalized settings or characters,” she continues. Hopwood is the daughter of Kevin and Jean, and has a younger brother, Christopher, a Chandler High School freshman. “She knows what she wants,” Totten explaines. “She just went for it. She’ll be very successful. I saw her talent the moment I saw her take a pencil to paper. She’s just an extremely gifted girl.”
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