Why are you so passionate about art?

It’s something I’ve always been into, but I found more of a reason for why I’m into it as I’ve gotten older. It’s the best way to feel involved and connected to things around me. I look at something or I think about something, and it’s a thing I can put my hard work into and get results out of. So it’s a way to find meaning through action.

What led you to this activity? When did you start?

I’ve always been into painting, but especially over the COVID-19 pandemic and eighth grade into high school, that’s when I started taking it more seriously, mainly because, with a lot of free time during the pandemic, it was a great way to keep myself busy.

Would you consider this to be something a lot of people in school know about you?

I’d say most people are aware of the art I make in the school, and I’m thankful to have a lot of friends who support me.

What advice would you give to students who are interested in an activity but are unsure whether to try it?

I would just say, go for it. It doesn’t have to be the only thing you do, and it doesn’t have to be good. You can make something and it can be terrible, but that’s one more thing that you’ve made that’s out in the world that wasn’t there before. You can go out and make some junk, but if it’s junk that you like, and junk you like making, it’s productive.

Why are you so passionate about cars?

My dad and I always liked cars, so we thought it was a great father-son bonding activity. We were doing that for four years, and it’s just been a great project that let me get closer to my dad.

What led you to this activity? When did you start?

We started four and a half years ago. [On] January 9, 2021.

Would you consider this to be something a lot of people in school know about you?

Not many, but definitely people I know in my friend groups—they know. I mean, it’s one of the first things you see when you walk into my house. People who know me and go to my house see it. So, yeah, so some people know, but I don’t think the general student body knows.

What advice would you give to students who are interested in an activity but are unsure whether to try it?

Well, you have to know what you’re doing. My dad learned a lot from his dad, who was a mechanic. He’s done a lot of them in the past, so he has a lot of knowledge on the subject. I mean, the best way to do it is to save up some money and gain knowledge on the subject, whether that be YouTube or whatever. You have to research the subject, and you have to make it almost to the point of an obsession.

My dad knows all that stuff, so he’s the one who’s been teaching me. If you don’t have somebody like that, I’d say it’s still possible. It’s just going to be a lot harder. You have to find somebody who can give you the knowledge, or find a source of the knowledge.”

Why are you so passionate about dance?

I think it was the first thing I did as a little kid, so I was put into it, but then I think I really liked the discipline of it and having to constantly improve and learn new things. I tried a lot of other things, but it was very different than gymnastics or soccer because of discipline and the rules. I think growing up with that, it just taught me how to be focused and have a work ethic that I don’t think a lot of other things offered me at that time.

The feeling of just improvement, watching videos of myself from a year ago, and just seeing how much my dancing has changed, and how much I’ve grown as a dancer, being able to see that progression and just constantly improving–there’s no perfection, but you’re always trying to strive towards that.

What led you to this activity? When did you start?

[My parents] put me in a tap class. And then I was like, I wanted to be in the ballet class. And so then that’s when I moved to Swarthmore and started doing that.

Would you consider this to be something a lot of people in school, like your teachers, know about you? Why or why not?

I think everyone knows about it. I post on Instagram about it. So I think a lot of people know that about me, just because it takes up so much of my life. When people ask me what I do outside of school, that’s the first thing that comes to mind.

What advice would you give to students who are interested in an activity but are unsure whether to try it?

I would say it’s definitely hard to balance such a big commitment outside of school, but I think I like to keep a schedule down to the hour of when I’m going to do things. I always point out when I’m gonna do my homework and then when I have to leave for ballet. All of that said, I make sure that I get everything done, but also I can fulfill the commitment of going to dance.