Valentina Prieto Black has been doing art for as long as she can remember. Since the age of 4, she has memories of expressing her thoughts and feelings through art. Prieto Black has continued to use art as a form of expression as she navigates through life.

Prieto Black is a senior in high school and has been pursuing art alongside her education for the entirety of her life. Last year she took the highest level of art  at PHS, AP Art, and although her PHS art career stopped she continues to pursue her passion and love for art through programs like the Teen Art Connect anti-bias leaders fellowship, which is an art and social justice program at the Jewish Museum of art in San Francisco. In this program she is using her art to make an exhibit and community project. 

Taking AP Art has allowed Prieto Blackto focus on and prioritize art, and helped her make time for it. AP Art allowed her to grow and discover a new love and skill for art that she had not been able to see before. 

With the chaos of being a high school student, especially as a senior, she has not been able to make as much time as she would like for art. 

“Besides the fellowship, I haven’t really done much art this year, which makes me really sad,” Prieto Black said, “it’s hard to balance [school and art].”

Prieto Black hopes to continue pursuing her art career after high school, by majoring or minoring in some form of art in college.