STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — With graduation just around the corner, Sofia Nielsen knew she wanted to do something unique and meaningful for her fellow Notre Dame Academy classmates.
It was then that a “crazy” idea started to sketch itself in the young artist’s mind: The 17-year-old Dongan Hills resident could paint portraits of all 110 of her classmates, then gift the paintings during her commencement speech.
“(The paintings would be) a reminder that everything that you have become here at Notre Dame will always be a part of you. A way to immortalize our legacy,” said Nielsen, the salutatorian for Notre Dame Academy’s Class of 2025…