Hey, faithful readers! My latest freelance article is out on the stands and online, and it was a particularly fun assignment. I  interviewed recent high school graduate Elise Guillen of Springfield, Mass., picture above, for Lioness magazine, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary (Congratulations Natasha and Crew!).

The story appeared as a feature in a recurring section of Lioness called ‘She’s Got Next,’ profiling young up-and-comers.

Elise fits the bill in many ways, but the story centers largely on her actions following the 2011 Springfield Tornado, which leveled her high school, along with her entire art portfolio she was about to use to apply to college. Without missing a beat, Elise picked up the pieces and started to recreate her portfolio — four years of work condensed into a few months.

There’s more to the story, but to sum things up, Elise is attending MassArt in the fall. She also won the AdClub of Western Mass. Communications Scholarship this summer, when I first heard her story. Need a little pick-me-up or some good-old Girl Power Inspiration? Read on. Below the article, I’ve posted two of Elise’s portfolio pieces so you can appreciate her artistic talents, too.