By admin 
CHANDLER, AZ — A Hamilton High School student was one of 250 national first-place winners in the America 250: America’s Field Trip contest.
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In the contest, students had to answer the question: What does America mean to you? They were able to choose between writing an essay and submitting artwork. Winners of the contest get a paid field trip to some of America’s landmarks.
For Zhenrui Gu, a soon-to-be senior at Hamilton High, she chose to go with art. She said she’s loved art since she was a little girl, so when an opportunity came up to showcase her talents, she took advantage of it.
“I think art has always been a form of self-expression for me, so I’ve done art ever since I was around five years old, taking art classes at my art teacher’s studio,” she told ABC15.
Gu found out about the contest through social media and spent hours on her artwork with her teacher.
“I’m really glad I’m able to show through my youth perspective, what I feel for this nation, my patriotism and how I love America,” she said.
The artwork she chose to go with, she feels, is the opposite of what some other kids would think of. Her painting was about the sacrifices that were made that got America to where it is today.
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Her piece shows a soldier holding a child during the war.
“I wanted to show that in the background, there’s a lot of chaos and destruction happening, but in the forefront here, as you can tell there is an American soldier holding a small child, meaning that in a moment of chaos, there can also be moments of protection and humanity as well,” she explained.
Most of the painting is monochrome. The American flag on the soldier’s uniform was the only thing in color.
“That really shows, for me, the American flag as a symbol of hope and opportunity in this nation,” Gu said.
Being in the first-place group, Gu gets to choose to go to one of fifteen historical landmarks. She chose to go to San Francisco. Her trip is slated for August.
Gu isn’t the only Arizonan to win in the first-place group; two fourth-grade students also won.
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