Crossroads News
Crossroads Sophomore Earns National Award for Photography
Winning work by Lola Hakim will be displayed in New York exhibition.
Crossroads sophomore Lola Hakim was walking through Union Station in downtown Los Angeles when she spotted a woman who was holding up a small mirror and doing her makeup.
“When taking a photo, I search for unique moments,” she says. “There was a rarity to the moment that I felt the need to capture.”
Lola’s resulting black-and-white image, “On the Go, Part 1,” recently won a gold medal in photography in this year’s national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The piece will be displayed in June alongside other winning entries in New York City at an exhibition in two spaces: the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons School of Design and the Pratt Institute’s Pratt Manhattan Gallery.
“I am beyond excited that my work is being recognized on a national level,” says Lola, who will be invited to a ceremony honoring national winners at Carnegie Hall. “It is more than I could ever have hoped for.”
Lola was one of several Crossroads students to receive acknowledgment in the West regional portion of the 2018 competition. Other honorees in photography included senior Joji Baratelli, junior Alexis Jenkins and freshman Claire Sures. Junior Nina Baratelli and freshman Kristy Lee were recognized for their painting projects.
For Lola, Crossroads has played an integral role in her development as a photographer. She first became interested in the discipline after taking an Options class as a sixth-grader, and she has been taking photography courses ever since. Lola has also expanded her range by taking photos for the student yearbook, and she plans to continue enrolling in photography classes throughout high school.
“Crossroads has fostered my love of photography,” she says. “This award has definitely driven me to take my photography more seriously, meaning that I should view it as more than just a hobby.”
