An MNPS graduate’s vision of America has been honored leading up to the nation’s 250th birthday, earning her a trip to California to see two historic sites.
Leslie Cumba Flores, who graduated last month from Nashville School of the Arts, is one of 75 first-place winners of America’s Field Trip, a contest organized by America250, the congressional commission leading the celebration coming up in 2026.
Students who entered the contest were asked to answer the question “What does America mean to you?” through original writing or artwork. Leslie, who submitted a painting, and the other first-place awardees will go on field trips this summer to some of the nation’s historic and cultural landmarks.
Leslie will travel to San Francisco in August to see Angel Island Immigration Station, which was an immigration port in the early 20th century, and go on a candlelight tour of Fort Point, which defended the San Francisco Bay at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge through World War II.
Gayle Graening, who taught Leslie in her Digital Art & Design class at NSA, said the recent graduate created the main logo for Center Stage, a film class production, and subsequently was asked to design variations of the main logo for special times of the year. Her hand-drawn design was also selected to use as the logo for the senior awards event, the Nessa Awards. And she created the logo for “NSA Radio,” a cloud-based radio station that promotes student songwriters and musicians from the school.
“I have seen Leslie's growth from the effort she displayed all year and the initiative she made to continue seeking feedback for improvement,” Graening said. “I know she spent hours on this hand-drawn piece of art, and I am so happy for her to be able to experience the confidence that comes from being one of the nationwide first-place awardees!”
Graening said Leslie, who was the only high school student from Tennessee to win the contest, plans to study cosmetology and earn her license as a hairdresser and makeup artist before opening a salon with her sister.