Cooper Student Leaves Lasting Mark on High School Hallway
Cooper High School student Odalys Huerta Anzaldo finds freedom inside her paintings.
“You get to really express yourself,” she said. “You get to freely do whatever you want. You can make mistakes. I feel like, in art, it’s very important to make mistakes because that’s how you learn and that’s how you grow.”
As one of the International Baccalaureate art students at Cooper, she’s getting a chance to leave an indelible mark on the walls.
She’s painting a permanent mural above the lockers in the hallway.
“I think my favorite part is definitely creating the characters,” Anzaldo said of her painting. “I think the characters all have a little touch of my culture. And I think that it’s very nice to incorporate not just the scenery but the people.”
The mural, which depicts a Mexican street scene, was inspired by her trips to visit family south of the border.
“I love to go [to Mexico] in December especially because they really do a lot of parties and celebrations,” she said.
It’s a proud heritage that she likes to show off in her artwork.
“I want them to see where I come from, what inspires me the most,” she said. “I think most of my art is very reliant on my inspiration of Mexico.”
Her painting teacher, Claire Mielke, said she’s remarkable, and not just for her talent with a paintbrush.
“What I love about her work and her work ethic is she’s always working from her heart and also from her culture,” Mielke said. “She’s just loving and kind. Helpful. She helps everybody else before herself.”
Cooper High School senior Odalys Huerta Anzaldo paints a mural — a Mexican street scene — above the lockers in the hallway.
Plans to Teach
Her relationship with Mielke, as well as her passion for art, are driving her to become an art teacher.
“I love working with kids,” Anzaldo said. “[Mielke] really inspired me to. I think her connection with her students just shows what a difference you can make as a teacher.”
“It’s just, like, the sweetest compliment ever,” Mielke said.
Anzaldo planning to attend Concordia University in St. Paul after graduating. She’d like to teach at a high school in the Twin Cities.
“I would like to continue to do what I love to do and teach it to other people, and to inspire them to continue to figure themselves out,” Anzaldo said.
See also: Cooper High School Students See Opportunity to Become Nursing Assistants
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