Junior Year

By Alyssa, 17, Illinois

Medium: acrylic and paper

I came up with the idea for this piece the day my April SAT scores come out. I had taken the SAT in March, then studied and prepped from those results for the April test. In spite of this, my score dropped 60 points. Annoyed at myself and the system in place, I created this piece to demonstrate the pressure that standardized tests and college prep has on high school students, particularly Juniors. The collage above the face is made from letters I received from colleges, practice tests, and more. It is an attempt to address the toxicity of college culture combined with the modern day stress on high school students to be the perfect student.