DECA Art for Well Being Contest Winners

In February of 2026, ASCEND and DECA, a non-profit organization that prepares students for careers in finance, marketing, hospitality and management, held an art contest centered around the theme of “self care.” Participants were asked to create a piece of art that reflected what self care meant to them. Any art medium was accepted. Entries were judged based on creativity, clarity of message, and presentation. First place winners would get a $50 gift card to Amazon, second place winners would get $35, and third place would get $25.

The high school winners were Machea Brunoe in first, Talyn Willcox in second, and Kaelynn Hunt in third.

The middle school winners were Savonya Heikkila in first, Elu Brunoe in second, and Elisabeth Veele in third.

Contestants were also entered in a raffle to win a calendar. High school winners were Machea Brunoe, Kaelynn Hunt, and Talyn Willcox. Middle school winners were Ahmad Hamzane, Mia Sutton, and Savonya Heikkila.

Artist Statements

Brunoe, HS

“Self Care is when you act good to yourself, you love yourself, and you treat yourself well. Doing things like working out can release chemicals that make you feel happy or doing something like reading can help you feel better by taking you away from reality and putting you in a whole new world. Then there's expressing yourself, which can make your self-confidence sky rocket, or taking time to meditate can help your mind relax and unwind, benefiting your mental health.”

Wilcox, HS

“I wanted to portray the feeling creation gives me. Creation is what pushes me to be myself and show  new parts of myself to others. Creating is one of the most universal experiences, it can be painting, it can be drawing, it can be building, it can be talking to people, it can be anything, anywhere in life. At any given moment you can create something new. You’re creating an experience and that's beautiful to me. This painting includes many things that are beautiful to me and my well being. I think my favorite part of it is creating the worlds you intend and then you can discover the unintended worlds, the results of other choices. I may make a few choices but there are worlds created as a by-product and then I get to discover those universes just like anyone else could. My well being is connected to my art, and I love creating.”

Hunt, HS

“As simple as the art looks, its little deeper than just "taking Care of yourself" the words all Connect, they're like us with our health. Mental health is connected to who we are, how we act, and how connected to others we are. Mental health matters a lot, it really does Change us. We need to care for it, just like a flower. The "Monster" Shown depicts how I see my mental when it's not really in the best place, everything seem jumbled together, days feel longer, and I feel alone, like a blank white room, the girl has to care to make it lesser and keep it from getting worse, it may be hard, it will be hard, but that's the beauty of it, flowers are hard to care for as well.”

Heikkila, MS

“I created a 'day in the life' sort of project. I used Canva, Wick editor, and my skills I learned from my teacher, Mr. Higgins, to create an amazing .GIF. It took a while, and it has 'me' waking up, my desk area, the kitchen, fades to the 'bathroom sink' fading to me going to bed, then it restarts.”

Brunoe, MS

“I believe that you have to look on the bright side of things. Because if you keep focusing on the negative, then you'll never enjoy what life has to offer. So this is a way to practice self-care, it can be beneficial to your mental health which can also be beneficial to your physical health.”

Veele, MS

“Motivational quotes always helped me; so I made my artwork to express that. You ARE beautiful. You ARE perfect in your own way. We all are different. We all have a lot going on right now. And we ALL need some time to rest. Some time to ourselves.”