10-year-old's design chosen for Palos Heights' new city stickers

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. - In a bid for change, one Chicago suburb sought out a fresh perspective, ultimately turning to a 10-year-old for inspiration in designing new city stickers.

Violet Sugg, a 4th grader at Palos East Elementary, emerged as the winner of the Palos Heights Women's Club's vehicle sticker contest. About 30 third, fourth, and fifth graders from her school submitted entries for consideration.

Violet's teachers expressed pride in her accomplishment, as did her parents. Violet credited her father, who she described as a talented artist, for inspiring her creativity.

"I thought of the inspiration of the cartoon up close, up on a tree branch, because it's our state bird and my mascot. And he thought of Lake Catherine. So that was also the other inspiration, because we used to go there during Covid and walk the dogs," Violet explained.

Violet's winning design is scheduled to begin appearing on vehicles in June.

In addition to her artistic talents, Violet shared aspirations for her future career, expressing a desire to become a marine biologist. She noted the vast mysteries of the ocean and sea creatures that continue to captivate her interest.