Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart sophomore Yuliana Tellez, of Waukegan, won the top prize in this year’s Illinois Churches in Action’s (ICIA) Alcohol Awareness Month Poster Contest. The theme of the statewide competition, open to all Illinois students in grades 6-12, was "Don't Do Drugs, Alcohol is a Drug." For winning first-place honors, the Lake Forest all-girls college-prep high school student receives a new laptop computer.

Yuliana’s poster depicts a metaphorical wall. “I drew a physical wall to exemplify the visible and concealed effects of alcohol,” she said. “One side of the wall is clearly bubbly, blissful, careless and colorful, while the other side deals with physiological demons, depression and darkness.”

After some encouragement from her father to consider entering various art contests, Yuliana says she finally was able to find the time and motivation to submit an entry to the Alcohol Awareness Month poster competition. “Another reason would be to show others how art can be incorporated into any idea and feeling,” she added. “Art is to be felt, seen and interpreted. When I began to realize that the way I perceived art helped influence my life in a creative and positive manner, it felt right to use it as an outlet for my personal motivation and to help inspire others.”

According to its website, ICIA is a statewide-non-profit organization dedicated to preventing problems caused by alcohol, other drugs and gambling. It does so by providing education out-reach to youth, churches, schools and community groups. For example, The Alcohol Education Program for Youth provides prevention training for students in grades 4-12 and for church youth workers. ICIA also sponsors the Teen Board of its affiliated Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems.