Adam Paniagua

Senior Adam Paniagua has participated in numerous programs in his four years of high school: running cross country and track since his freshman year, joining the speech and debate team, and taking an art class his senior year.

Ever since he was a little kid, Adam has enjoyed art.

“Art is kind of something that I’ve always done,” Paniagua said. “I think that every kid colors and everything, but that’s something that I kept doing and truly found a joy and passion in doing.”

Paniagua decided to take art his senior year at FUHS in order to challenge himself and improve his skills.

“As much as I enjoy it, I know I do certain things incorrectly,” Paniagua said. “I wanted to be able to refine my skill a little more.”

 Adam initially wanted to pursue history to become a history teacher, but realized that he wanted to take his passion for teaching and combine it with his passion for art.

“I just think that [teaching art] would be something cool that I’d be able to do, to teach people something that I enjoy,” Paniagua said.
Paniagua plans to continue his education at Fullerton Junior College as an art major.

Adam gets a lot of his inspiration in art from his heroes, literally.

“Superheroes have had a big impact on my wanting to draw,” Paniagua said. “Seeing that makes me want to get better at what I do, so not that I can be able to achieve what [comic book artists] do, but to draw the heroes that I enjoy reading about, and be able to do more things with them.”

Making friends, branching out socially, and learning in high school have helped Paniagua spread his art, and display it for all to see.

“[The people in my life] have given me a confidence in my art that I don’t think I had before”, Paniagua said. “Their encouragement gives me more confidence in myself, allowing me to try new things, or go out there a little bit on something I might not want to do.”

Paniagua has used art to see how he has grown throughout his high school experience..

“It’s such an experience to work through it by yourself, and watch the process, seeing your own piece develop,” Paniagua said. “It allows me to keep up positivity, to be more confident, because of the encouragement I receive and the joy that I get.”

Art has allowed Paniagua to be the person he is today, and has given him the ability to  draw himself a bright future ahead.