Stephanie Nussle, a senior at Newton Falls High School, has been taking photographs ever since her parents gave her a camera as a Christmas gift. With only a few clicks of her camera, Nussle has achieved what some students work years for: Her photography is already on display in Youngstown State University’s Bliss Hall Gallery.
“I mean, it’s just like everything around me, and I do it all the time. So, it’s not like an assignment. It’s pretty much just like what I do for a hobby and for fun,” she said.
Nussle’s work — along with the work of other students from Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Ashtabula counties — is on display for the Northeastern Ohio Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition. Outstanding students were awarded for their work on Saturday in Bliss Hall’s Ford Theater.
The Northeastern Ohio Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition brings together junior high and high school students and showcases their artwork in order to bring their work into the public view. The awards are designed to provide opportunities for artists to interact with one other and to encourage creativity.
Nussle earned several awards at the ceremony for her photography, including a Gold Key Award and the Gold Key Portfolio Award. Finalists for these two awards will move on to the national competition in New York City.
Jon Hill, a Newton Falls High School art teacher, helped Nussle put together a portfolio of her eight best photos.
“Stephanie is one of them students … that doesn’t need much of any kind of direction or motivation,” Hill said. “She’s a self-starter. She’s very talented, very creative, works harder than everybody else in the room, does twice as much work than is expected. She’s just naturally curious, and she is a craftsman in her work.”
Nussle’s artistic endeavors aren’t limited to photography. She is also studying drawing and painting.
“It’s like a hobby, and I want to continue in making it into a career with graphic design,” Nussle said.