My first year at Freestyle opens with the burning question of adolescence: “Who am I?”
Introduction
Over the course of two months, we were challenged to look back and consider our identity, and how it was shaped by our experiences. Across all 3 classes, we looked for the things we care about and the moments that left an impact, and put them into projects in different mediums. In previous years, this question would pop up primarily during English class (being the centerpiece of AP Lang’s Tapestry), so it was impressive to me how exploring the same concept could lead to such different products with completely different goals. In English, I wrote a personal essay to present myself to others who may not know me for the college admissions process. In Digital Media, I took different aspects of my passions and character and put them into different details on a mandala that represents my identity, and made a video in After Effects presenting my core values. Finally, in my Design elective, I created a surrealist digital collage looking back at my summer experiences, and a PSA based on an issue that I find important.
At a time where I have to present myself as favorably as possible to universities and scholarships, I got to look back at achievement, which was refreshing. I got to witness how ideas bottled up inside of me and my frustrations about the world let me make work with more inspiration, and got to feel more complicated than the narrative I formed in my AP Lang. Tapestry which was also refreshing. I remembered that there are things I care about legitimately, and considered how authentically I may present myself in different settings.
