Stephanie Leiva has never been to New York City. Her friend and classmate Alexandra de León has once before, but she’s still sharing in the same level of excitement and anticipation.

For the two seniors at Blanson Career and Technical Education High School in Aldine Independent School District, this isn’t just a short getaway to the city affectionately known as the “Big Apple.” They’re traveling with dozens of fellow artists and creative teenagers across the greater Houston area and will be meeting hundreds more once in New York City.

Leiva and de León both earned National Gold Medals in photography through the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The prestigious scholarship and recognition program is the nation’s longest running for creative students in grades 7-12 and touts a number of prominent alumni in both visual and creative arts.

“For me, I’ve always been driven to create art for myself,” Leiva said of receiving the news that she was a National Medalist. “I knew I had the ability to compete – I just had to put my art out there.”

Said de León: “I’ve always been in art going back to middle school. I never tried photography until junior year. My dad is the one who owns a lot of cameras, and we have a whole bunch of pictures at home…but I really enjoy it now even though I didn’t think I would.”

Put in perspective, Leiva and de León are among less than one percent of those who entered the competition in December to earn a National Medal.

The program received more than 335,000 entries from over 110,000 teens. Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) serves as the second-largest regional affiliate for Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and received nearly 14,000 submissions from students across Harris, Galveston and Fort Bend counties. Nearly 92,000 regional awards were presented, including 1,220 gold keys locally.

The 103rd Class of National Medalists is just over 2,500 works. That includes nearly 130 students across the Harris County region and only two – Leiva and de León – from Aldine ISD.

National Medalists are invited to Carnegie Hall in New York City and will be recognized on June 10 for their achievements. Thiry-four students representing seven area school districts, five private schools and four private art and writing schools across greater Houston are scheduled to attend the ceremony alongside their teachers, district and organization representatives, and loved ones.

“I’m so excited,” Leiva said. “I’ve always wanted to travel, so it’s great to be able to do that while also being recognized for something that I worked for.”

Leiva and de León are Aldine ISD’s second and third National Medalists in two years, showcasing the district’s efforts to expand opportunities and enriching experiences for students beyond the traditional class setting. With HCDE’s partnership with Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and many in the greater Houston area, students are able to showcase their passion for writing or visual arts.

“I’m incredibly proud of both Alexandra and Stephanie,” Blanson visual arts teacher William Brink said. “I enjoy pushing students to compete because I know what it can mean for them to have these formative experiences and there is no higher award than the National Scholastic Gold Medals for aspiring artists. To hear that their work and their story resound with others on a national level, I can only imagine what that means for them.”

Both students created their pieces as part of their senior portfolios.

For Leiva, her portfolio focused on climate change and sustainability, giving her a chance to answer questions she had during brainstorming and creating. The photo, “Blinded Truth,” answers her question of how plastic affects daily life. It shows the subject’s hands cutting fruit but everything in the photo (knife, fruit, cutting board and more) is wrapped in plastic.

“Art didn’t pull me in like photography did,” Leiva said. “I liked being able to build the story throughout the process.”

De León’s artwork has normally centered around womanhood, femininity and relationships she has with the important women in her life. “Act of Faith and Love” showcased the relationship with her mother and how religion and prayer helped create a nurturing environment for her to become a young woman. It shows de León’s mother in the kitchen preparing food but also surrounded by candles.

“Only my mom would be willing to get in the kitchen in the middle of the night and make quesadillas and tortillas for me,” she said. “I just loved that it was her, and I could show her. This is her in my eyes.”

Her mother will also join de León and Leiva for the trip, as will their teacher, William Brink, and Kaileigh Newman, the district’s director of visual arts.

“These extraordinary wins place Aldine ISD students in the top tier of national talent,” Newman said in the district release. “This outstanding achievement truly reflects the technical mastery and emergence of unique personal voices among our students.”