LI Student's Art To Be Featured On New York Times' Book Cover

OYSTER BAY, NY — It's not every day that an individual — let alone a high school student — has their artwork featured on the cover of a New York Times book.

But that's exactly what happened to Ana Cordero-Benavides, a sophomore at Locust Valley High School, when she submitted her artwork to The New York Times coming-of-age multimedia contest in 2020.

Melanie Mooney, an art teacher at Locust Valley, encouraged talented students like Cordero-Benavides to apply.

"The restorative power of art after a crisis is truly amazing," Mooney said. "Creativity is a human right. This human right makes us all feel human again. I am so proud of Ana and her creative process of having her art give her restorative power."

In partnership with the NYT's Learning Network, the contest was open to teenagers across the country and focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted them. Teens were asked to submit pieces that channeled their experiences and feelings about how the world changed in 2020.

Judges from the Learning Network considered more than 5,500 entries for the book.

Cordero-Benavides' art piece, titled "Too Much," can be found in the top left corner of the cover. The image depicts the constant negative breaking news and the stress that one endures because of it.

The New York Times book, "Coming of Age in 2020: Teenagers on the Year that Changed Everything," is expected to be released this October.