Emily Mozzone, a senior at Tahoma High School, is an aspiring graphic designer.

In her young career, she already has at least one recognition to put on her resume. She recently won the US Composting Council’s international poster design contest.

The contest is an annual event that occurs around International Compost Awareness Week, which was May 3-9 this year.

“Be Loyal To Your Soil” was the theme for this year’s contest.

Her graphic design teacher, Mozzone said, encouraged her to enter the contest.

It seems like it was a perfect fit. Mozzone is not only interested in graphic design, she also has an interest in sustainability.

She is in Tahoma’s National Honor Society and as part of that group she helps clean up the school campus by encouraging her peers to recycle.

Her and her family also grow a fruit and vegetable garden in the summer.

In addition to her design being chosen to be put on T-shirts and posters for the compost week, Mozzone also received a $2,500 “Seeds for Scholars” scholarship from Cedar Grove.

Cedar Grove established the region’s first commercial composting facility in Maple Valley. In a press release from Cedar Grove, it states “How to compost” was the number one how-to search in the Puget Sound region on Google.

Mozzone’s interest in sustainability started in sixth grade when she was learning about global warming, she said.

“There’s a lot of nature around us,” she said in a phone interview. “I think it’s important for us to keep it healthy and the natural forest sustainable.”

Mozzone will head to Seattle University next year after she graduates from Tahoma. She said she hopes to get a degree in graphic design and work in a way that benefits her community in both her career and free time.