Student Artist Captures Sense of Community with Holiday Card Design

Tulsa Community College student Scout Haggard won the College’s holiday card contest with a painting of TCC’s Southeast Campus in a snowy scene. Haggard says she was inspired by the warmth and sense of community she feels on campus.

This year’s holiday card from Tulsa Community College will feature a wintry landscape design painted by second-year student Scout Haggard. The holiday card contest winning entry, Southeast Wonderland, is an acrylic painting of the TCC Southeast Campus blanketed in snow.

The Southeast Campus holds a special significance for Haggard. During her senior year at Broken Arrow High School, a TCC campus tour helped her realize it was the perfect place to start her collegiate journey.

“I signed up last minute and fell in love with the campus and the classes, especially my Composition class where I found a passion for writing,” says Haggard. “I switched my major to Communications and want to continue with Journalism at OU once I graduate.”

Despite her love for writing, Haggard’s creativity isn’t limited to words—she finds joy in painting during her spare time. She frequently works with acrylics on large canvases and loves experimenting with different forms of media.

For the holiday card contest, she challenged herself to work on a 7-by-5-inch canvas to replicate the size of the greeting card.

“I wanted to see if I could create something on a smaller canvas, and I was very happy with the result,” Haggard says. “I even had to buy extra paintbrushes because mine weren’t small enough for the details I wanted in the picture.”

Haggard’s artwork depicts the exterior of the Student Success and Career Center at the Southeast Campus, with people joyfully playing in fresh snow. Though the theme of the artwork is winter, she aimed to make the scene warm and inviting.

“I wanted to create a landscape that showed people getting along and having fun, like playing in the snow. That sense of community was essential to my submission.”

Haggard describes herself as a storyteller across different mediums and hopes to one day work in broadcast news or film. She also dreams of seeing her art displayed in a museum or gallery.

“When I create things, I want to connect with people,” she says. “I’m glad that I’ll have the opportunity to do that with my artwork on the holiday card.”

Haggard is a recipient of the Tulsa Achieves Scholarship, a Career Services Ambassador and a member of Phi Theta Kappa. She’s also received a leadership scholarship toward her bachelor’s degree completion at OU.

For her winning entry, Haggard will receive a $500 prize from the TCC Foundation and 50 copies of the card for personal use.