Mira Costa Student Turns Grief into Art

Rep. Ted Lieu said on May 11 that Hugh Saetia, an 11th grader at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, won first place in the congressman’s 2026 Congressional Art Competition with a work titled “Denial.” The win put a Mira Costa student at the top of a districtwide field that drew 135 entries from 16 high schools, according to Lieu’s office. The first-place work will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. Saetia is also scheduled to travel to Washington in June for the national awards ceremony. ### Which award did the student actually win? Rep. Ted Lieu’s office said the award was the first-place honor in California’s 36th Congressional District for the annual Congressional Art Competition, the U.S. House program for high school students. The competition is run district by district, and the winning work from each district is displayed at the Capitol. (lieu.house.gov) May 7 was the date of the district reception at Otis College of Art and Design, where Lieu recognized the winners. Lieu’s office said second place went to Ayla Dowdell of Redondo Union High School and third place to Elizabeth Le of West High School. ### What is known about Hugh Saetia’s piece “Denial”? Lieu’s office identified the winning work only by its title, “Denial,” and by Saetia’s school and grade level. (lieu.house.gov) The title is the clearest public indication of the piece’s subject, and Patch’s roundup item characterized the work as a response to personal grief, an interpretation that aligns with the title but was not detailed further in the congressional press release. The public materials reviewed did not include an artist statement from Saetia or an image caption explaining the loss behind the work. Because those details were not available in the official release, the published record so far is limited to the title, the award result and the display plans. ### How competitive was the field? (lieu.house.gov) Lieu’s office said students from 16 different high schools submitted 135 works this year. Those entries included 35 photographs, 38 paintings, 48 drawings, nine mixed-media works and five pieces in other formats, including computer-generated art. Mira Costa students appeared elsewhere in the results as well. (lieu.house.gov) The same release listed Trevor Huo, another Mira Costa student, as the honorable mention winner in painting for “Summer Day.” ### What did local officials say about the result? Ted Lieu said in the release that he was “blown away” by the students’ creativity and said Saetia’s work would represent the district in Washington. (lieu.house.gov) Lieu added that it was inspiring to see “a piece of home” hanging in Congress. Patch’s Manhattan Beach roundup framed the recognition as part of a broader local conversation about grief and arts education, though the item available in search results did not include extended quotes from school or city officials. (lieu.house.gov) The official congressional release focused on the competition results, scholarships and display plans. ### How does this fit into Mira Costa’s arts program? Mira Costa High School says its visual and performing arts department offers coursework in art, ceramics, photography, painting, printmaking and other disciplines, with advanced study available in AP Studio Art and related programs. The school and district also promoted a spring art show on April 24 at Resin Gallery in Hermosa Beach featuring more than 100 students and more than 20 years of student exhibitions. (msn.com) The school’s PTSA also participates in the Reflections arts competition, which routes winning student work from the school level to council, district, state and national judging. That structure shows Mira Costa students have multiple paths to formal recognition beyond classroom exhibitions. ### What happens next for Saetia? June is the next public milestone in the competition calendar. (miracostahigh.org) Lieu’s office said Saetia will receive a trip to Washington, D.C., to be recognized at the awards ceremony, while “Denial” remains on display in the U.S. Capitol for one year. Mira Costa’s campus calendar also lists an All Awards Assembly on May 26, one of the school’s next scheduled recognition events. (lieu.house.gov) (miracostahigh.org)