Livia Urban ‘25 has been recently recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the Arc of Maryland and Code/Art for her creative endeavors, securing a prestigious Silver Key Award alongside numerous Honorable Mentions.

For the Scholastics Art & Writing Competition, Livia received recognition for CHAOS (silver key award), CURIOSITY (honorable mention), and THOUGHT BUBBLES (honorable mention). This is the third year in a row Livia has received recognition from Scholastics Art & Writing, receiving two honorable mentions previous years.

Since 1923, the Scholastic Awards have recognized some of America's most celebrated artists and writers while they were teenagers, including Tschabalala Self, Stephen King, Kay WalkingStick, Amanda Gorman, Charles White, Joyce Carol Oates, and Andy Warhol. Holy Cross takes pride in counting Livia among these esteemed alumni of the Scholastic Awards!

Livia also submitted works to Arc Maryland. Through the organization’s partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education, Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council, and the Maryland Department of Disabilities, the Arc launched the campaign, “Together We’re Better,” which encompasses Inclusive Education & Art/Drawing Contests. Livia has been recognized as an “Honorable Mention” in this contest. This is the second year in a row her art has been selected for the interiors and cover designs.

The submitted drawings will be featured in a coloring book designed for younger children with disabilities, scheduled for distribution this Spring to public libraries and various community centers.

In light of this recognition, Livia was invited to attend the Annual Developmental Disabilities Day at the Legislature on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, where The Arc of Maryland celebrated the “Together We’re Better” initiative and honored all the awardees.

Lastly, the Code/Art competition combines creativity, art, and coding to inspire more girls to pursue computer science. This year’s theme was Time Traveler, where Livia received Honorable Mention for her code/art piece, as well as recognition as a Judge's top pick. This is the third year in a row Livia has been recognized in the Code/Art competitions. Prior years, she received 1st place and Finalist.

“I find inspiration all around me, and I like to make sense of everything,” said Livia. “I have been an artist since I was young, and love everything about it.”

Livia has been prolific working on art projects and sketching at home, exploring all mediums, from traditional to digital, 2-D and 3-D, including water color, acrylic, pen & ink, charcoal, pastels, pencil, clay, and collage. At the start of sophomore year, Livia has been attending Stone Branch School of Art on the weekends and summers, to enrich her art foundation skills. She is considering pursuing a major in animation, game design, or industrial design. Livia enjoys engineering and has been inspired by the Intro to Engineering and Design Project Lead the Way class she took at Holy Cross last year. Industrial Design will be a good compromise to her art and engineering interests.