It’s said that people should write about what they know, and for Samantha Woo, the same is true for graphic design.

The recent South Forsyth High School graduate won a scholarship for her design of a party invitation for an event she was preparing for.

Graduation was her inspiration.

“I was originally considering a wedding invitation, but since I’m a teenager, I didn’t really know what would go on a wedding invitation,” Woo said.

“I felt like a graduation invitation was more relevant to me, and I’d be able to convey it better.”

She took top prize in the Poly Graphics Invitations inaugural design scholarship contest, which earned her $500 for college and her invite being sold on the company’s Web site.

Bob Poliachik, owner of the Apex, N.C., business, said Woo’s design stood out from hundreds of entries due to its slanted text and clean look.

“We narrowed it down to four,” Poliachik said. “Hers had simple lines and was different than what we currently offered.”

Poly Graphics opened up the contest this year to help college-bound students and find fresh ideas for the site, he said.

Woo will start college at the University of Georgia in the fall, where she plans to study graphic design.

She’s excited to have a published design for her portfolio and some extra money to offset the costs of college.

Woo said she’d applied to dozens of scholarships with no results before submitting her card.

“I literally screamed because I was so happy,” she said of finding out she won.

She designed the card by searching out inspiration and using Adobe Photoshop software to create the look she wanted.

Woo said she cued in on graphic design a few years ago, but she’s always loved art.

“Once you get into graphic design, you realize it’s everywhere around you,” she said. “I thought it would be cool to be a part of that.”