What part(s) of fine arts are you involved in?

• • • • • • • • Theatre, art and poetry 

How much time do you spend on fine arts per week?

• • • • • • • • When it comes to art, I spend most of my time doing it. I’m always sketching something, but when it’s an actual project, I can spend over six hours every week. Poetry usually only consists of around fifteen minutes every other day.

How did you get started in the fine arts?

• • • • • • • • I got interested in theatre initially by total accident. I’ve always liked to sing, so in middle school I thought why not try out for this musical. I’ve loved theatre ever since. Art came as a surprise as well. I’ve always been a doodler, but I didn’t think I was actually good until a teacher pointed it out to me. 

Why do you still participate?

• At first anything art related was just a fun way to fill free time, but recently it’s becoming a really successful coping skill.

What’s your favorite part? Why?

• My favorite part is probably that with art I can step out of myself and be someone better and different than who I am. It’s the only place where I can truly create my own world and narrative. 

What’s your inspiration? Do you have a role model?

• My inspiration usually comes from expressing my truth and reality while also highlighting what the world could be. My role models include Audra McDonald, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Maya Angelou. 

Have you won any awards/honors or hold any leadership positions?

• I won an international poetry slam with the St. Louis team [in] the summer of 2019 and then the following school year, I took over North’s team, Savage Stanzas. 

What’s your position/role?

• I was North’s Poetry club captain.

What’s your favorite memory from your time with the fine arts?

• I became friends with people, who under normal circumstances, I never would have interacted with. I made two of my closest friends from poetry and a ton of others through theatre. 

Will you continue the fine arts in college/after high school?

• In a perfect world I would solely do arts, but realistically speaking I’ll dedicate as much free time as I can to it.