Future Leaders Winner Taps Into The Artistic Side Of Technology

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4) – Every month during the school year, CBS4 and PDC Energy honor a high school student who is excelling in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. The Future Leaders winners get $1,000 and a profile on CBS4.

The winner in March is Sienna Clark, a junior at Castle View High School.

A tablet computer is Sienna Clark's art medium of choice. She uses it to create for Technology Student Association or TSA competitions. TSA is a national organization that helps develop STEM skills through competitions, activities, and related programs. They run dozens of competitions in a wide variety of skill sets.

"I usually stay in the more creative ones. I really enjoy fashion design. I also enjoy comic book design," Clark told CBS4.

She and her crew created a 10-page comic book in her freshman year. It was her first ever effort at digital comic book making.

"That was definitely one of the most challenging things, just picking up a new software and just knowing how to do it," Clark explained.

In her sophomore year, she worked on a second comic book and again won in the TSA competitions.

"You always have to design and lay it out, and there's paneling that's involved. And when I did the paneling, it's just so hard to make comic books flow," Clark said.

"It seems like you like the artistic side and the technology side of things. What do you love about blending the two together?" asked CBS4 Chief Meteorologist Lauren Whitney.

"Well, I think that art is in everything we do, just like technology is in everything we do these days," Clark replied.

Clark also uses her art to talk about serious topics in the worlds of teenagers. Her comic book is a fictional depiction of what happens when a friend dies. She has close ties to STEM Highlands Ranch where a school shooting happened, and now the pandemic has taken its toll.

"It is hard going through all those things, all in like the span of two years. I'm just trying to keep a positive attitude especially because it is hard," Clark said.

Clark turns to a more traditional art form to keep her calm. She plays the piano, and before the pandemic, he regularly played at her Grandpa's senior living center.

"I just wanted to bring joy to them, and play the piano for them. And it was really kind of nice, because I know they really enjoyed it."

READ MORE: Other Future Leaders Award Winners

You can nominate a high school student for the CBS4 Future Leaders Award, just fill out the online application.