Hawaii’s Super Students




Saturday, December 21, 1996

Name: Jose Magna
Age: 14
School: Roosevelt High School
Favorite subjects: Art, history, social studies
Future: Attorney and Disney animator

Now 11 years later, Magna is the Hawaii State winner in the Christmas Seals Kids' Drawing Contest.

Magna's drawing can be seen on Christmas Seals distributed nationwide. "My design is of a grandpa reading a story to his two grandkids. There's a Christmas tree and a fireplace, and Santa and Rudolph are looking at them through a window," Magna said.

Magna said he was inspired by his family. "We always do a lot of fun Christmas stuff," he said.

His mother, Delmar, said she thinks her son's artistic skills developed during his childhood illness, but that his natural talents come from his father, Jose, an engineer.

Kathy Mitsuda, Jose Magna's art teacher at Stevenson Intermediate when he drew the award-winning Christmas Seal design last year, described him as "very talented." She said he should pursue his desire to go to art school.

She said winning this contest was only one of Magna's many art awards.

Other artistic media are not outside his creative reaches. Delmar Magna wears her son's handmade clay earrings. "He can do anything," she said.

In his free time, Magna enjoys going to the movies and the beach with his friends. He said he would like to go to college.