Palo Alto High School is filled with dozens of amazing artists. One of these is senior Alisa Glenn. Glenn has only been involved with art since her freshmen year however, she was quickly intrigued by drawing, painting and the unlimited possibilities within the art department at Paly.

During her freshman year, Glenn was signed up to be in a foods class, but accidently was placed into Art Spectrum. She was not thrilled about her schedule mishap, but little did she know that this art class would help shape the rest of her high school career.
 

“They stuck me in art and I was really angry,” Glenn said. “But then I liked it, and I’ve been taking it ever since.”
 

Despite her rocky start at art, it soon became a focal point in her life. In fact, Glenn recently began her art portfolio for college. Creating a portfolio is an interesting yet time consuming process.
 

“[An art portfolio] around 30 pieces, and it’s a lot,” Glenn said. “To get into an art college you need either an art supplement or an art portfolio which is usually about 15 to 20 pieces. Sometimes 25.”
 

It is important to have a theme within your 15 to 25 pieces. Colleges often look for a theme in one’s art portfolio, some even argue that the theme is almost more important than the actual material. Glenn has chosen a personal theme for her portfolio—her 13-year-old sister.
 

“I’m doing [my portfolio on] my sister because she has Down syndrome, [and] she’s had a pretty significant effect on my life,” Glenn said.
 

Glenn also gets inspiration for her art pieces from her former and current classmates. It is interesting for her to see other students’ perspectives and styles.
 

“Last year it was cool having the [Advanced Placement students] work with us so we could see what they were doing,” Glenn said.
 

Glenn loves to paint, sketch, draw with pen or with colored pencils. One of the pictures shown on the right is drawn completely with black pen which is simply amazing.
 

One of her favorite pieces in her art portfolio is one of the many she did on her sister, using many techniques including drawing and collage. It is a portrait of her sister, accompanied by childhood memories that they shared together.
 

“In some ways she’s very difficult to be around but she’s also very sweet,” Glenn said. “[For example,] I come home and she wants to give me a hug and tell me how her day was instead of just hiding in her room.”
 

Glenn explains how her sister functions at a low level for a Down syndrome patient. Even though she is technically 13 years old, she still behaves like a five year old. Doctors say she will not get much better than she is right now, and her development is permanently stunted.
 

“[Some people with Down syndrome] can have jobs and go to school—but my sister functions like a five year old and they don’t think she’s [going to improve much] as she gets older,” Glenn said.
 

Despite the circumstances, her sister’s special needs have inspired Glenn’s art, and living with her has changed Glenn’s overall perspective on life.
 

“I’ve definitely become more patient and I think that’s helped with art,” Glenn said.
 

Glenn has officially decided to continue art in college. She is applying to several art colleges around the country, including MICA (the Maryland Art Institute) and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
 

In addition to Glenn’s school artwork, she volunteers at an art studio off of California Avenue called Artful Beings. The main focus of Artful Beings is teaching art to children with special needs but also those without. Glenn likes the feeling of teaching other people something with which she is very comfortable.
 

“It’s really exciting,” Glenn said. “I’ve been doing art with my sister for a long time, but it’s a different experience when it’s not a family member.”
 

Glenn welcomed help and inspiration to get where she is today, but there is no doubt that she is a natural at what she does. Although Glenn accidentally fell into Paly’s Art Spectrum class during her freshman year, she has learned to create incredible pieces and is ready for a future in art.