New Braunfels High School student Lauren Pszanowski has made NBISD history with her award-winning animation, Whiskers in the Void! Lauren earned a prestigious Gold Seal at the Texas State Visual Art Scholastic Event, also known as VASE on April 26th at San Marcos High School.

Lauren first competed in the Regional VASE event held in February, where she submitted her piece in the 2D Art category. Her work received a 4, which is considered a perfect score, earning her an All-Regional First Place rating. From there, her artwork was selected among the top 10% of entries, which qualified her to advance to the state competition.

At state Lauren’s animation was awarded a Gold Seal. A Gold Seal is the highest honor given at the state VASE competition. This distinction is awarded to only 164 students across Texas this year. More than 30,000 art entries were submitted in this year’s competition. Lauren’s award is the first Gold Seal ever earned by a student from NBHS and NBISD.

“This is an incredible milestone not only for Lauren but for our entire NBISD community,” said Dr. Marty Lenard, NBISD Director of Fine Arts. “We hope to take Lauren’s success as a cornerstone of what is to come for visual arts in our district.”

Lauren’s animation also was a state finalist in UIL Young Filmmakers Festival. To watch her video, click here.

In addition to Lauren, NBHS senior Brooke Bagley was also a state finalist at this year’s VASE competition.

For more information about the VASE program, visit the VASE website.