When walking down the halls of Hamilton Southeastern High School, one may notice various pieces of artwork from students of all grade levels. There are many kinds of art, some ranging from huge paintings done by AP art students to small clay sculptures resting in glass display cases.
However, one piece in particular stands out among the rest. The piece is titled Proud to be a Royal and is located at the end of the flag hallway. It is made from a collage of blue and white paper that makes up the HSE logo, and occasionally has parts of the fight song and slogans written throughout.
The piece was donated to the school by Junior Daniel Serrano, who wanted to leave a positive lasting impact on the school. “[The piece was] a great way to leave my mark on the school,” Serrano said in an interview. “In a way that was artistic and kind of [like] me.”
Coming from a household filled with a passion for art, much of Serrano’s inspiration comes from his mother who is also an artist. Additionally, he spends his free time learning about art at the Kaleidoscope of Art Studio located in Fishers. The director of the studio, Jane Roberson, has also inspired Serrano to continue to create art throughout his life.
Serrano is not only artistically talented but also excels in school and will be graduating early with academic honors and a part of the class of 2024. After high school, Serrano plans to take a gap year and attempt to see as much of the world as he can. Serrano wants to travel to Europe in the first half of his trip, and then explore other parts such as Bali and Indonesia. “I want to volunteer or help out kids and spend a lot of my trip helping others because that is something that I have always been passionate about,” Serrano said.
Following his gap year traveling and volunteering, Serrano plans to apply to college along with the class of 2025 graduates and study architecture. Serrano said, “I want to study architecture because there are so many things that you can do with a degree in architecture.” He plans to make work that is not only functional but also unique, and once again leaves his mark on the world.
