East Ridge High School’s Sophia Soo’s AP Art and Design 2D Portfolio earned a perfect score. She is the first student in South Washington County Schools to do so. Artist: Sophia Soo
East Ridge High School senior Sophia Soo has made local history, becoming the first student in South Washington County Schools to earn a perfect score on her AP Art and Design 2D Portfolio—an accomplishment achieved by only 2 percent of students worldwide.
Sophia, who identifies as Asian and American, says her portfolio is inspired by her relationship with her cultural identity. “I grew up in a family at a crossroad of different cultures while being always immersed in American culture,” Sophia says. “In the same way that many other American-born Chinese went through phases of doubt about their identity, I went through some of the same challenges.”
Most of the five pieces in Sophia’s submitted portfolio, How Can I Reckon With My Own Cultural Identity?, were painted in oil on canvas or wood panels; she challenged herself technically by incorporating other mediums, such as paint pens, with which she has less experience. “In my art portfolio, I wanted to explore the different phases of my relationship with my identity and portray my journey toward accepting my body and self,” Sophia says.
Sophia, who has classical art training, begins her creative process with preliminary concept sketches; she then spends hours exploring different elements and compositions. “Battling with my own perfectionism and obsession over my pieces would eventually teach me an art and beauty in letting go of my initial ‘vision,’” she says. She starts with an acrylic underpaint; second, she blocks general shapes; finally, she refines and carves out details.
While Sophia doesn’t intend to classically study art in the future, she hopes to continue pursuing it as a hobby alongside a medical degree at Brown University in Rhode Island. “Ultimately, I made the decision not to study art as a result of fear,” she explains. “A fear that, if I make art my work, then I will no longer be able to enjoy art as a creative outlet.” For now, Sophia continues to enjoy painting on a large scale in and out of school.
