Menlo News March 10, 2016

Illustrating for Change

Junior Kaitlin Hao uses her passion for art to help promote literacy and learning through storytelling in underserved, hard-to-reach areas worldwide.
Kaitlin Hao '17

Junior Kaitlin Hao’s interest in oil painting was first sparked during a summer class she took while visiting Hong Kong in sixth grade. Her true love of creating art blossomed in AP Art with Nina Ollikainen. After the course last spring, Dr. Ollikainen encouraged Kaitlin to continue her artistic exploration through Seeds of Empowerment’s 1001 Stories project. The 1001 Stories project promotes literacy and learning through storytelling in underserved, hard-to-reach areas worldwide. The program offers storytelling workshops and pairs the children’s stories with illustrators, who create artwork and prepare them for publication. The books are made available for purchase with all proceeds going back to the young authors and providing their communities with educational resources. Excited to grow artistically and be involved in charity work, Kaitlin pursued the opportunity and is now finalizing illustrations for a story about a farm girl from Tanzania named Ami who dreams of being a pilot. “I hope to do Ami’s beautiful story justice but also incorporate a little of myself in it, too,” Kaitlin says.

The project has given Kaitlin confidence in her artistic decisions. “My Seeds story is composed of all of my own ideas and artistic choices,” she says. “I felt really empowered being the voice of Ami and helping her share her story.” The experience has also taught Kaitlin what it’s like to be an illustrator. To really understand the flavor of Africa, she did a lot of research about the environment of Tanzania and examined photos she took during a safari trip to Kenya and a service trip to South Africa. The most challenging aspect of the project, Kaitlin said, “was keeping all 12 of the illustrations cohesive. They have to flow and breathe as a continuous story.” Beyond the art studio, Kaitlin also plays doubles for the girls’ varsity tennis team, which won the CCS championship this year, and she is the Principal Oboist for Menlo’s orchestra. While she loves her independent journey in art and individual exploration, she also “loves the camaraderie of orchestra and tennis and working together with others to achieve something great.”

Maya Varma ’16 and instructor Nina Ollikainen are also illustrating picture books for the 1001 Stories project and expect to complete their books within the school year. Maya Varma ’16 and instructor Dr. Nina Ollikainen are also illustrating picture books for the 1001 Stories project and expect to complete their books within the school year.