“Follow your dreams.” This is a cliche phrase most children hear over and over again, wherever they go. Like most things, the phrase flies by most kids, who do not really process the words. The reason “follow your dreams” is repeated so much is because as a child grows up, it seems harder and harder to make those dreams a reality. Senior Claire Dronen has kept her dream in the front of her mind for her whole life.

Dronen has known she wanted to be an artist “ever since she picked up her first crayon.” This past year, she got one step closer to making her dream a reality when she applied to UW-Stout. She took another step closer when the university gave Dronen a Polytechnic Student Scholarship from the school. Dronen has many people backing her up while she follows her dreams.

The first step for Dronen to become an artist was to make a decision on the school she wanted to go to.

“I applied to UW-Stout after touring it this summer. I really enjoyed their campus, location and most importantly, what they had to offer for art,” Dronen said. “I want to major in Graphic Design. I figured it would be a good mix of art and technology, which is growing immensely, and will definitely be a large part of potential future jobs.”

After applying to the school, she did not have to do a thing for the school to fall in love with her. They have seen her art and have already given her a scholarship.

“About a week after I applied, I received a Polytechnic Student Scholarship for $1000 directed towards the arts. I haven’t applied for any scholarships there quite yet, so it was a surprise,” said Dronen.

The beautiful thing about Dronen’s story is how she is an advocate for following your dreams. She is passionate about something and so she is going to make a career out of it.

“[People don’t follow their dreams because] there’s a lot of risk involved in it. If you make it, then it’s awesome. But if you don’t make it, then what do you do?” said junior Kallie Quist. “You have to be pretty vulnerable to follow your dream. And a lot of the time, people will tell you that it’s never going to happen”.

Dronen is not scared of faliure.

“Failures are a normal part of life. They’re not disasters that cannot be overcome. A failure means you can try again,” said Dronen.

She is not alone in her journey either. Dronen has full support from her friends and family.

“I think Claire’s art is fantastic. She has such a broad range of mediums that she works with, from clay to watercolor,” said one of Dronen’s best friends, senior Brooke Thingvold.  “One of my favorite pieces by her is a watercolor of a coast, and when I first saw it, I thought it was a picture. She is incredibly talented in realism, where her drawings look very detailed and well done. I am honestly inspired be her work, being artistically inclined myself. I admire her patience and skill with art, and every piece she does is always impressive.”

The take-on-the-world attitude Dronen has is sure to get her far in life. She does not need much luck with the confidence she has. Dronen is headed to UW-Stout this fall with her head (and paintbrush) held high.