List of 7 items.

• Building her brand:

  “I have a jewelry-making company, Afares Beads. I make bracelets, anklets, necklaces, and my specialty, African waist beads. It’s a tradition in Africa for women to wear beads around their waist that symbolize different things. I’ve been making custom orders for people since last summer.”

• How Ellis builds her confidence:

  “My confidence has grown so much at Ellis. A lot of that has to do with surrounding myself with people who make me feel comfortable. I had a lot of test anxiety last year, but after speaking with my advisor, I realized that the teachers are here for me and want to help. I’ve gotten a lot better at advocating for myself.” 

• How she’s a changemaker:

  By starting a Black student union at her previous school. “Before I graduated, I talked to administrators about creating an affinity group for Black students. They ended up creating one the next year, and now I’m part of the Black Student Union at Ellis.”

• On finding her voice:

  “I’m finding my passion and voice alongside my peers and learning a lot from them. I’ve taken what they’ve said and educated myself more in relation to social issues and equality. I’ve learned it’s important to stay true to myself and what I want to do.”

• On her horizon:

  “In college, I’d like to study business, probably marketing or merchandising, but also minor in art history. I’d love to expand my business or start a new one in the future and learn more about art.”

• On trying new things:

  “I realized how important it was to try new things when I came to Ellis in ninth grade. Everyone is so supportive and the environment here allows you to step out of your comfort zone even when it might feel scary. My freshman year I decided that I wanted to be secretary of my class for student council. I talked to one of my classmates and she told me to go for it. I ended up winning and loved representing my grade.”

• The class she looks forward to:

  Arts in Society. “It’s discussion-based and focuses on different cultures, art styles, and experiences. Right now, we’re learning about the five major religions and we’re about to do a project comparing and contrasting those religions and how they affect art.”