On May 23, Hempfield High School sophomore Leo Breault traveled to Dickinson College in Carlisle to participate in the 2023 PA Media and Design Competition. Breault won second place in the Logo and Graphic Design category after competing with students from school districts across the state.

Upon arriving at Dickinson College with his parents, Breault checked in and set up his table in a large event room. The room was divided into multiple sections, with each section housing tables for a variety of student projects in the other categories, such as animation and 3D modeling. After Breault set up a table to display his project, he walked around the room to view other students' work. "It was pretty neat to see people looking at my work and seeing their reactions," Breault said. "I liked seeing other people's projects and how they took different approaches; I definitely knew I had some tough competition."

Once all of the tables were set up, the artists left the room to view a presentation on the other offerings of the event as the judges began to look through the projects. Following the presentation, Breault took a tour of the campus and explored its facilities, finally returning to the event room to view how the judges scored his work.

As a contender in the Logo and Graphic Design category, Breault was tasked with creating a logo for next year's competition. Certain parameters had to be met to win points for the design, such as including the competition's name and details. Breault also needed to display how the design would be applied to different types of items like shirts and posters. The first-place design will be used for the competition's actual merchandise next year.

Breault started his project for the competition a few months ahead of the event. The contest was integrated into the graphic design course that Breault was taking taught by Bill Turner. Turner had each student in the class create a piece for one of the competition's categories, although participating in the contest itself was optional.

Breault utilized software such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator to create his design, which he then transmitted to a physical poster board for presentation. Breault played with the dimensions of his design as he applied it to the poster, using a laser cutter to chisel the top of the poster and add a 3D element.

After becoming interested in graphic design last year, Breault has continued to take courses focused on commercial art at school and enjoys making sports-related designs. He plans to pursue a career in graphic design after graduating from high school.