When St. Andrew’s Priory visual arts teacher Alethia Donathan approached sophomore Yongxi Wang about entering some of her work in a national competition, Wang was more than agreeable.

Who knows what she would have said if she understood what Donathan meant.

"My English wasn’t so good so I couldn’t understand what she was saying," says Wang, laughing. "I didn’t know it was a competition."

And not just any competition. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards honor top high school talents from around the country in a variety of styles and genres.

Wang, who moved with her family to Hawaii from Beijing a year ago, says her interest in drawing and painting stems from an early love of Japanese manga such as "One Piece."

Before enrolling at St. Andrew’s, Wang had been entirely self-taught, her skills and vision refined through long hours of studying the drawing of her favorite artists and finding ways to make her creations uniquely her own.

Indeed, Wang’s transition from large, metropolitan Beijing to sunny Hawaii was eased in large part by Wang’s appreciation for what she’d learned of the school’s history and, in particular, the opportunity she has had to receive more formalized training in art.

Still, it came as a surprise to Wang when she found out that she had been awarded an American Visions Medal in the category of comic art for her project, "Walking in the Night City, Part III."

"It was unbelievable," Wang says. "Before, when I used to draw in China, my parents would encourage me to study more so I could go to college and get a good job. Now they see that maybe I can go to college to study art."

Wang had originally intended to pursue a career in medicine. Now she is researching colleges with good art programs that can help her fulfill her dream of creating her own graphic novels.

Wang said both her mother and her father, an engineer who once had artistic aspirations of his own, are supportive of her ambitions.

"Before, I used to draw just for fun," Wang says. "Now I also see it as preparation for a job. It’s not just for fun, but I really enjoy it."

Wang will travel to New York with her brother next month to attend the awards ceremony at Carnegie Hall. Her art will then be included in a traveling exhibition.

To see samples of Wang’s work, check out @Incidental Lives on Twitter.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.