The city of Santa Clarita is excited to announce that two local students were selected as national finalists in Sister Cities International’s 2020 Young Artists and Authors Showcase (YAAS).

Amber Lee, from Valencia High School, was selected as a U.S. finalist in the art category for her piece titled, “United We Stand.”

Sydney Hooper, from Saugus High School, was selected as a finalist for her poem titled, “Stronger Than Ever.” The poem can be found below.

All of the YAAS finalists and winners can be found at SisterCities.org/YAAS. Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners.

Each entry for the 2020 YAAS focused on the theme, “One World: Out of Many, We Are One.” Every participating student showed how they were inspired by the theme through art, photography, essays and poems that reflect their vision of unity in the world.

Amber Lee’s vibrant artwork shows many different colors and representations, all combined on a single face. According to Amber, what inspired her was “the constant division between people and coming to the realization that we are no different from one another.”

Sydney Hooper’s work travels through a range of emotions from fear to grief and love, demonstrating how, together, we are stronger than ever. Sydney states, “I was deeply affected by this tragic event (Saugus High shooting) and wanted to demonstrate how a community can come together to support one another.” The City is proud to have these talented young students as a part of our community.

Santa Clarita is a member of Sister Cities International and has two international Sister Cities in Tena, Ecuador and Sariaya, Philippines. Sister Cities International is a non-profit citizen diplomacy network based in Washington, D.C. and was formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to create and strengthen partnerships between the United States and international communities, one individual, one community at a time. To learn more about Santa Clarita’s Sister Cities Program, please visit scvipsantaclarita.org or email SisterCities@santa-clarita.com.

“Stronger than Ever” poem by Saugus High School’s Sydney Hooper.