Ms. Lee has greatly impacted me not only in art, but also in my everyday life—changing my perspective and skill on how I approach a challenge or issue. Her teaching transformed the way I think—encouraging me to see problems in a “big picture”, ask deeper questions, and understand the why behind every process. Rather than simply telling students what to do, she teaches us how to think, making sure that “learning extends far beyond a single project and the final product” as she always says so. She has opened my eyes to see the importance of process and enabled me to benefit from it more fully.
Her mentorship emphasizes exploration and critical thinking. Through a project of my reflection on life and death, she pushed me to experiment the limits of charcoal, explore the visual language that best communicates the symbolic meaning in the imagery I used of predator and prey—encouraging me to embrace mistakes, and helping me grow through them. Her teaching gave me confidence to challenge myself and apply the skills I learned in reasoning and analytical thinking across future work.
Another experience that deeply impacted me was her field project–drawing from live plants outdoors. Through thoughtful questioning, instead of telling us the answer, Ms. Lee helped us discover for ourselves the difference between drawing from life versus a photograph. I have deepened my observation with an analytical lens, honored unique details of individual life forms, and brought vitality that I could never imagine of into my work. By giving me a small hint about the distinctive features of the plant, she enabled me to utilize my thinking and establish reasoning to what the problem was and how to solve it. Which has significantly assisted me in the day-to-day schooling system and how I comprehend information from different school subjects.
— Athena Gao
8th grader at Eleanor Murray Fallon Middle School (January, 2026)
Under the tutelage of Ms. Lee between 5th-8th grade.
Ms. Lee Art Class 