Sumter's Next Generation, presented by CCTC: Getting creative, candid with Wilson Hall senior Lottie Bynum

When you picture a high school senior with a passion for tech, art and film, you probably don't imagine them casually donning a 3D-printed, white-and-gold "Halo Mark IV" helmet that looks as if it were ripped straight from the video game.

But then again, Wilson Hall's Lottie Bynum isn't your typical high school senior - and the helmet hides a lot more than her face.

Her journey into tech and creativity didn't start with a grand plan. Freshman year, she thought her artistic abilities would be confined to ceramics and photography. Instead, a scheduling hiccup nudged her toward engineering. After her first few weeks in the class and learning her way around a 3D printer, she was hooked. Fast forward, and Lottie is creating any and everything - from miniature Barons to life-sized pieces of armor just waiting to be put together.

But her creativity doesn't stop with tech. As a serious artist, she sketches expressive hands, eyes, "Halo" and "Call of Duty" characters and, interestingly, Formula 1 racers - a niche passion she shares with her F1 aficionado friend at church.

"I've always loved drawing," she expressed. "Recently, I love capturing emotions, and one of my favorite things to draw is either eyes or hands because I feel like those are the most expressive parts of the body. I feel like everyone says, 'Oh man, I hate drawing hands' and 'They're so annoying to draw,' and while that's really true, it's also really funny because as painful as the process is for drawing hands, it's so worth it in the end because then you get something really expressive."

When Lottie's not in the classroom printing parts of armor or sketching to her heart's content, she's beaming about getting the perfect shot underneath Wilson Hall's Friday night lights. Her interest in being behind the lens was first fueled through Christ Community Church in Sumter. The experience was so fun, fun enough that Lottie wanted to do it more than once a week. So, when word got around that Wilson Hall was looking to create its own media team, Lottie had one question.

"Can I try that?" she said, laughing. "I just enjoy how close you can get to the football players [and] the action, and it's very much a general rush … It's awesome."

In between all her creating, Lottie also splits her time between Key Club, varsity golf, senior Beta Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and many more clubs. She has also received numerous awards, including Regional SCISA Traveling Art Show in 11th grade, StarTalk Wofford Most Improved 2023 and StarTalk Wofford Most Effort 2023.

With all this passion and creativity flowing, everyone can't help but wonder what Lottie is going to do with it all? Well, everyone except Lottie.

"My top choice is Clemson [University], and it's either going to be in their architecture program or their sports communication-sports media issue program because it's kind of where I am right now," Lottie said regarding her college plans.

As for a job, Lottie hopes to find a career that is "filled with creativity, whether that's film or architecture."

For now, in her final year as a Baron, Lottie looks to express creativity and have fun while doing it. And to her peers, she encourages them to find what they're passionate about and, like Nike says, "Just do it."

"You really don't get anywhere unless you practice. This is my second or third rendition of trying to make a helmet," she said, holding up the "Halo" helmet that took her 25 hours to print. "I definitely was not a great artist in freshman year, but that just grows over time and the more effort and the more time put into it, then just do it, and it'll work out."