Theo Hanson, a senior at Summit High School, can only be described as a person of many talents. Put her in a room with a random assortment of people, and she could find 10 things she had in common with each of them. Her hobbies are endless and her smile just as wide. It’s hard to say she wouldn’t get along with anyone, with the gentle personality that she always carries with her. But it’s not her demeanor that sets her apart from the rest. It’s her passion as an artist and creator that shines through her person the most.
Like a true Bendite, when the powder is heavy at the mountain, Hanson is carving down the slopes on her skis or snowboard. But her free-time doesn’t just consist of shredding at Mt. Bachelor. Hanson is a talented artist, using acrylic paints to paint colorful and surreal designs on large canvases. Her art has been primarily recognized through the Scholastic Art Awards, where she has won three Golden Keys—the top prize—as well as two Silver keys and multiple honorable mentions. Last year, she also won a scholarship to an art camp that she attended at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. For her, her art mirrors the world as she sees it, and she does a beautiful job of using her paints to create vibrant, distilled depictions of humanity.
“I enjoy painting people a lot, a lot of my work is about human interaction or self-reflection,” Hanson explains.
To further her artistic accomplishments, this year she is working on setting up a small business to sell her hand painted clothing. Frequenting Old Boy Vintage and Regroup, she collects multitudes of simple t-shirts and sweatshirts that provide the perfect blank canvases for her dramatic designs. Using black fabric markers or bleach and a paintbrush, Hanson gives these worn clothes another life with her original illustrations.
Hanson has recently found a new outlet for her creativity with Summit’s theatre program. This fall she worked as a stage manager for their theatre production of “Mean Girls.” Theatre is something new for Hanson but the community that she has found in the theatre department has appealed to her in many ways. She loves being around big groups of people, and for her, theatre is the perfect place to be a part of a supportive social environment.
“I am really liking working together on something that’s just kind of bigger than I am,” she explained.
The dedication that she displays is not only reserved for the arts. She is an avid weightlifter, spending time each day in the weight room where she is working to break the Summit girls bench press record which currently holds at 165 pounds. Her commitment to weight lifting stems from both the joy of the sport and as a result of preparation for the upcoming rugby season.
Hanson plays as a forward for the Summit Girls Rugby team, who were recently state champions in their fall season. She has been a crucial part of the team since its establishment three years ago, where she showcases daring toughness and grit in her contact skills on the field.
“Theo is incredibly strong and consistent,” admired Steve Lopez, Hanson’s rugby coach. “She is always looking to get better, always asking to get better, and it is infectious.”
This upcoming year she is planning to attend college, hopefully in a big city. She loves the quirky, irresistible environment of places like Seattle and San Francisco, where she hopes to find a college with a good physical therapy program, something she has been interested in for awhile. Art is also on the top of her mind but it is not a path she is set on. Hanson strives to never commit to just one thing, leaving room for both her inevitable successes and her inevitable failures. She will never shy away from new experiences, and she carries a humble attitude with her wherever she goes.
High school can feel like a tedious affair, with long classes blurring into hours of homework and extracurriculars. This draining environment cultivates an indifference for many students, but Hanson shows that the excitement of new learning can be found in the simplest places. Her academics don’t go unnoticed but the enthusiasm she displays through her art, and her involvement in Summit’s theatre program and rugby team is a quality that is demonstrative as much as it is rare.
To the family and friends that surround her, it is Theo’s kindness and loyalty that stand out. To the Summit community, it is her passion that makes her an inspiration to so many of her peers.
