I am Darian Romero. I am a 17-year-old student attending Los Altos High School and Freestyle Academy. If you were to ask someone what a defining trait of mine was, Doctor Who will come up eventually. I’ve been a lifelong fan of Doctor Who, which is a British TV show that’s been running (more or less) since the 1960s. I’m a bit of a walking encyclopedia for the show, and as I found myself drawn towards creative interests, it’s been the subject of a lot of things I’ve made, from scribbles in my ancient drawing journal to 3D animations on a laptop that overheats if you look at it funny.
Most of my free time usually ends up filled with playing video games and watching video essays, or spending time with my partner and/or my friends. Lately, I’ve been making an effort to start practicing my writing skills, as well as consume video essays specifically to inspire me and show me new perspectives.
Through Freestyle, I’ve learned a lot of valuable things. From filmmaking skills to making friends, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Something I find incredible about the program, and that I can see myself really valuing moving forward, is that it allows students a place to fail. Not to say that one shouldn’t try when attending, to the contrary. Failing is a part of learning, a part of any progress, and Freestyle Academy allows us to learn the foundational skills for our arts earlier, and to fail faster. I have some far-off ideas of what I want to do (which all involve Doctor Who, shocker, I know), and I’m starting on those ideas now, so I can fail as fast as possible and keep going.