The odds of being chosen from 6,600 students are very slim, but for Junior Adriana Oberto that is not the case. In the competition, Scholastic Art and Writing , Oberto won the American Visions award for her photo Altruistic Partner.

“I was excited, but also a little in denial,” Oberto said. “I was just very shell-shocked and I didn’t believe it at first.”

Before high school, Oberto hadn’t done photography and never had a plan to pursue it.

“My friend was the one who suggested it to me so I could get my art credit and I only needed it to fill my schedule,” Oberto said. “So it was off of a whim to join photography, but I really enjoyed it and then I decided to continue it.”

Despite the the people around her having a lack of knowledge about photography, Oberto still had supporters who leaped with joy from the news.

“Telling people and getting their reactions got me very excited; even people who don’t know about photography got excited for me,” Oberto said.

Even though she won the award, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t bumps along the way.

“There were complications with shooting, coming up with ideas, and the developing process,” Oberto said. “I’m glad I didn’t mess because I got a really good picture out of it.”

This win for Oberto was her first major win in photography.

“I hadn’t really won things before because I never really participated in things like this,” Oberto said. “I just didn’t really have the motivation and I didn’t think I was good enough or ready to.”

Oberto revealed that most of her inspiration comes from heartwarming moments.

“I like photographing people in their natural environment,” Oberto said. “I get excited when I see something sweet or just like a good moment happening and I always want to take photos of it.”

The emotions from the pictures transcend beyond the camera.

“Just seeing people get excited to do what they love makes me want to do what I love,” Oberto said.