Highlander. A three syllable word involving pride, community, and strength. Three words similarly used to describe Freshman, Katherine Amankrah. Already ahead of the game, at just fourteen she has illustrated the children’s book, My Body Knows. Do I Know? that can be found widely across book stores and online platforms like Amazon and Walmart. 

Aspiring to follow a career in illustration and the arts, this isn’t the end of her story, in fact it’s only the beginning. Immersing herself into a pool of liquid and artistic gold, she says, “I think I started taking drawing seriously when I was nine.” Further exploring the artistic side of herself, she shares that drawing and painting are her so-called go-to’s. Her hobbies (almost commonly expected) are illustrating and writing stories. She even reports, “I’ve tried to write a couple of novels.” Never a dull moment, an artist has to have her muse. The way the world is always evolving and man is always creating, this is the same for her. An inspiration expressed was movies. “The way they create in this way [style], characters [actors] inspire how I draw and create [my own] characters.” One look off the touch, it’s magic from there.

Further diving into this spectacle of a persona, Katherine is the youngest child of three. Having one brother and sister, Katherine hints,“all of my siblings are pretty good at art and also music,” later following with, “my brother and sister are both good at piano.” Never getting into that aspect of artistic ability along with her siblings, they are nonetheless filled with promise.

Always devoted to the interests and takes on Doherty lives, Katherine came from Forest Grove and adds that, “[going from middle school to high school] has been a pretty easy transition, I don’t really feel that out of place so far.” Different from Doherty, “there’s a lot more freedom, especially at lunch.” While even our fellow Highlanders can agree on this, the settling of our own classmate is always exciting.

Quite the opposite of a surprise, her favorite class at Doherty is… art! Having no pets, this August born, young woman who loves the color green, gifts us the pleasure of her experience as an illustrator so far. Always wanting more, fast forward a couple of years, and we’ll see Amankrah illustrated a published children’s book on “teaching kids how to understand and control their emotions.” While attending Elm Park Community School here in Worcester, she was in sixth grade when the illustration process began. “First, the psychologist [Ashley Hope Cournoyer-Smith] from my elementary school asked me if I wanted to be an illustrator for a children’s book, and I agreed.” Reaching that chance of the possibility of one’s dreams, this led her to the beginning of middle school at Forest Grove working on the book for a year or two. A fairly simple however complex exercise, “She [Ashley Hope Cournoyer-Smith] already wrote the book and all I had to do was illustrate it.”

While you might be asking how this was possible, her illustrating platform was an app on her old iPad called Procreate. Skilled and mighty, this warrior of an artist communicated how, “I thought it was a really fun experience to design all the characters and create a story behind them.”

Currently, at year 9, Katherine can be found in her favorite nook of the world; drawing in her bedroom preferably on her bed. As her styles of art are developing as her life goes on, “I’ve been using a lot of ballpoint pens recently.” Not only focused on her chosen medium, her cartoonish characters have transformed into “[focusing on] creating characters…I [now] like to draw realistically.” Concerned on where she might end up one day, Amankrah indicates that she is under the impression she will attend college for a major in art. Awaiting what’s to come, Katherine Amankrah is in good hands. Her unbelievable aptitude will guide her into her next path in life. Can’t wait to see the end result, the world doesn’t know what’s coming. I Know. Do You Know?