You May Not Know My Name Now… But You Will
By: Lexie Craig
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lexie Craig. I am a
photographer, artist, accomplished student, hard worker, softball player,
Junior Beta Club member, S.G.A student, leader, and a very proud
wildcat. This is my story, an autobiographical journey, about a thirteenyear-old girl who has been encouraged to do great things her whole life. I
have learned that with encouragement comes success and I have
experienced my fair share of both. Every success story has its beginning.
Mine is no exception. You may not know my name now, but I promise,
one day, you will.
In the early years, I was allowed to do activities that young children
would normally not be allowed to do. I was allowed free range with my
creativity. I was encouraged to eat with my hands, and color with crayons
and markers. When I was a little shy of two years old, I drew all over my
parents white walls with a red permanent marker and was not
reprimanded. Instead, my mom affectionately called my drawings,
“Masterpieces”.
My imagination had no bounds! I loved watching Disney cartoons,
playing with dinosaurs, and my animal collections. My papaw and I
would go on “treasure hunts” around the house. Whenever my
grandparents received large cardboard boxes, I would go inside and make
cave drawings or sometimes I would make houses out of them. My family
encouraged me to be very creative with my hands at a very young age. I
was given the opportunity to paint pumpkins, make cookies, and decorate
cakes at my discretion. My grandfather and I made books together of
creative, funny sentences and drawings, and I could not wait to go to
school and share my stories.
During my early grade school years, I wanted to be an author and
illustrator because I loved creating my own stories. Throughout those
years, my interests in art only grew stronger. Teachers praised my artwork
and creativity.
On Christmas Eve 2006, my aunt and uncle gave me my first
camera, a 35mm film camera. My uncle purchased the gift at a local
auction. Once my camera was ready, I left the room and began taking my
own photos. Upon developing those photos, my mom was quite
surprised to find that my subjects were centered and focused.
During the summer of 2009, my parents bought me a pink Kodak
digital camera. I was free to take my own vacation pictures while in
Florida.
Looking back, I would say that my fourth grade year was my first,
really, big, academically successful year. I got to walk the red carpet for
Distinguished and Proficient CATS scores from the previous year’s
testing results. My fourth grade teachers referred me to be evaluated for
Talented and Gifted (TAG) for my leadership and art skills. I had to
present an art portfolio with a collection of my various forms of artwork
and photos for the eligibility team to review and discuss. I qualified for
both areas.
It was during this year that my interest in photography began to
blossom. My mom hadn’t been feeling well for some time now. One of
her passions had always been photography, but her condition began to
limit her. Her hands would shake when she held the camera. In addition,
her neck pain increased when she would put the strap around her neck.
Since mom could no longer take pictures without increasing her pain, she
passed the Canon Rebel XTi digital SLR camera down to me. I started
out with the small zoom lens and then upgraded to the large zoom within
a short time. This was the first year that any of my photos were submitted
for any competitions.
My fifth grade year (2010-2011) proved to be a busy year for me and
very rewarding one as well! My artistic, photography, and technology skills
continued to improve throughout the year. I began to photograph school
activities for teachers. As people began to take notice of my photos and
artwork, I was asked if I would represent my school as their student
spotlight selection for the regular monthly school board meeting. I did a
slide show of my art portfolio. Since much of my art and photography
inspirations come from nature, we used the song “God’s Coloring Book”
by Dolly Parton to aide in my presentation.
This would also be the first year that I participated in a STLP
competition. I entered two photos, and both made it to the state finals!
My first entry was an original photo named “Butterfly Beauty”. It received
an honorable mention at state. My second entry was a manipulated image
titled, “Midnight Tulip”. It won third place and was displayed on “The
Wall of Winners”. Although I won third place at state, I did not get to
walk across the stage at Rupp arena. That honor was reserved for first and
second place winners. Nonetheless, this was the first win and recognition
for my photography skills. I was ecstatic! I had to call Papaw and Mamaw
and tell them the news! I made it a personal goal right then and there that
I would walk across that stage next year.
In May, my art teacher, took three of my pictures (two of which
were the STLP state competition finalists) along with a black and white
drawing of a deer to the Regional Art Show. I won my first blue ribbon
with my black and white drawing titled, “The Buck Stops Here”! A few
days later, I joined the assistant principal at a Chamber of Commerce
luncheon held at the board office. At the meeting, they highlighted the
talents of students from each school. My drawings and photos were on
display.
That year, my school started a book club that allowed students to
create, write, and illustrate their own books. These books would be
published. Some students did individual books, some did class books,
and some worked together and co-authored books. I wrote and illustrated
four books. The titles were as follows: The ABC’s of American History,
Fun for All Four Seasons, If I Was a Fish, and Snow Donkeys. I was
selected to sit at the authors’ panel at the Red Carpet Authors’
Celebration, where I displayed my books. I won an award for “Best
Illustrations in a Book”. A news channel from Lexington interviewed me
at the celebration, and my picture was on the front page of the local
newspaper. This was such a big deal to me, especially since I had been
writing my own stories and illustrating them since kindergarten.
My fantastic fifth grade school year was far from over. The
magnitude of the success of that year only continued to grow. My school
won a contest to attempt at breaking a Guinness world record. Our goal
was to make the longest friendship bracelet. As part of my leadership
plan, I was chosen to be interviewed and videoed about the details of the
bracelet making process. Interviews were going to be shown on national
television highlighting our achievement. I was also charged with the
important task of welcoming our visitors and giving a thank you speech
while other students gave out tokens of our appreciation to the staff of
Guinness World Record. During the ceremony, it was confirmed that we
had, indeed, broken the world record. How many young kids can say that
they broke a Guinness World Record? Well, I can!
All my hard work and dedication towards my academics paid off
BIG TIME during our fifth grade graduation ceremony! I won the
Science, Social Studies, Art, Technology, Leadership, and the Principal’s
Award for maintaining a 4.0 G.P.A. throughout the entire school year.
Comments made about me by my teachers during this ceremony offered
further encouragement. My homeroom teacher regarded me as a “silent
leader” and my technology teacher was confident enough in my
photography skills that he “knew that he would see my photos in a
national magazine someday”.
My middle school experiences have evolved around my academics,
enhancing my leadership skills, and extending upon my art and
photography skills set.
Prior to the middle school, my preferred styles of photography
revolved around animals and nature. While being on the softball team, I
have been given many opportunities to fine-tune my action shots. I have
found that I enjoy taking these types of photos.
Opportunities to travel have assisted in the pursuit of my personal
interests and goals. I was in awe while sightseeing in New York City. Until
this trip, architecture had not been the subject of any of my photographs.
I also attended the Junior National Youth Leadership Conference,
JrNYLC, in Washington, D.C. I stayed in Washington for a week with
other students across the nation. We participated in activities designed to
teach us skills necessary to become an effective leader. While I was in
D.C., my parents and I went to the Smithsonian National Zoo, the
Smithsonian Museum of National History, and the Museum of Natural
History. With my trusty camera in hand, I took pictures of zoo animals
and of the historical monuments. Some of which have become
competition pieces.
I have also continued with the book club while in middle school. I
knew that I wanted to write more stories, so I kept a folder of stories,
sketches, and ideas since last year. I have added seven stories to my
previous books that I wrote and illustrated giving me a grand total of
eleven books published as an author and illustrator. The recently added
titles were as follows: Snow Donkeys 2, The Nicknamed Class, How to
Survive B.C.M.S., The Year of the Dragon, Lexie’s Books of Animals,
and Elephant Tusk.
I first submitted arts and crafts along with photography exhibits in
the county fair and the Kentucky State Fair during the summer of 2011.
Over a span of three years, and before I turned thirteen, I entered 41 4-H
exhibits. I have won twenty blue ribbons, six red ribbons, three white
ribbons, and one purple class champion ribbon in photography. For arts
and crafts, I won four blue ribbons, five red ribbons, and one white
ribbon. I have also won two blue ribbons for wood science. Oh my! That
is a grand total of 42 ribbons for 41 entries at the Kentucky State Fair in a
period of three years.
Perhaps my biggest undertaking up to this point was that I accepted
an offer to take team and individual pictures of our county’s recreational
softball league. This was such a huge project! I had never taken team or
individual photos before, so it was a great learning experience. I did a
good job and heard great feedback from parents. After I took the
recreational league pictures, I took my earnings and bought a new camera,
a Canon Rebel T3i.
As a seventh grader, my accomplishments continued to be noticed
by educators and people within the community. I became the head
photographer for the Yearbook. I took pictures of sporting events, as well
as, other school events occurring at our school. My pictures were
uploaded onto the school’s new Facebook page for members of the
community to keep track of our school’s achievements. While on a
school trip to Chicago, I took pictures of the Navy Pier Boardwalk, the
buildings, Willis Tower, the Beam, my classmates, and many other sights
of the city. My Chicago pictures would later be used in another student’s
video showcase during a student spotlight.
This would be the first year that my school went to the Kentucky
Youth Assembly, KYA. My role in KYA was to serve as media
representative for my school. My KYA video was featured in a student
spotlight as well.
Since one of my personal goals is to broaden my skills as a
photographer, I took my cousin’s senior pictures and have taken some
portraits for Christmas photos.
As a sixth grader, I walked across the stage at Rupp Arena for STLP
for the first time, a personal goal of mine. I had two original photos that
had made it to the state finals. My graphic design, “Be Nutty” won
second. My theme poster entry, “The Future of Me” won first. These two
winners would be on display at the Explorium.
The following year at state STLP, I made it to the second round in
state competition with my showcase, titled “Photo Editing Done Fast with
ColorBlast”. My original photo, “Sunshiny Day” got honorable
mention. My graphic design, “Nobody’s Perfect” won third place. My first
technical writing effort, “Photo Editing Done Fast with ColorBlast” won
third. My manipulated photo, “It’s A Brick Moth”, won first place. For
the second consecutive year, I walked across the stage at Rupp Arena and
had my photos displayed at the Explorium.
I am now in the eighth grade. I have maintained a 4.0 G.P.A.
throughout my middle school career. I have received numerous
academic awards as well as extra-curricular awards. I work extremely hard
to achieve success. It has been an active start to the school year thus far,
and I hope to add to my list of previous accomplishments. I enjoy
competitions and plan to continue producing competitive type works.
Now, you know some of my accomplishments and have gained a bit
more insight into my personal life and work ethic. I think you would agree
that my story is one of what all a girl can do if she is encouraged, given
opportunities, and allowed to be creative. Sometimes I wonder…What if
I had not picked up that red sharpie and drawn those “Masterpieces” (as
my mom called them) on those white walls? Had I been reprimanded all
those years ago for my creativity, would I have been as encouraged,
creative, or accomplished as I am today?
Now, we have arrived at the conclusion of my story, but for all
intents and purposes, my story is just beginning. I have learned so much
in my short thirteen years. I plan to build upon my skills inventory. I have
many bright years ahead of me and many life goals yet to be achieved. I
believe my future will be whatever I want it to be. Who knows…maybe
I’ll return someday as an accomplished and successful Alumni of STLP.
You may not know me now, but someday you will.