We asked some of the brightest folks from within the community to reflect back on their days in school and to share with us a story of when they learned a particularly important or impactful lesson. We’ve shared highlights below.

Parker Maser

The most impactful lesson I got from school was learning how to keep going even when people were negative or doubted me. There will always be people who don’t believe in you, but instead of letting that stop me, I learned to use it as fuel—not out of spite, but to prove to myself that I could rise above it. Read more>>

Richard Saba

My first year of art school was consumed by an intense foundation design program, a kind of boot camp for creativity. The assignments were less about achieving a finished product and more about immersing yourself in process. There were no right answers, no models to imitate—only the demand for invention. Read more>>

AJ White

I have so many but the main one that sticks out to me was around October of 9th grade. I attended a private PWI highschool, so I easily stuck out. This was around basketball tryouts and I had been workingout nonstop just so I could make Freshman A team. I remember it so vividly lol. Read more>>

Dexter T. Wycoff II

One of the most impactful lessons I have learned was while I was attending Bethune-Cookman University, a small historically Black University (HBU) in Daytona Beach. I decided to attend Bethune-Cookman for two main reasons. Firstly, my parents had attended HBUs and shared how impactful their experience had been. Secondly, growing up, I was drawn to Bethune-Cookman’s marching band and the school colors. Read more>>

Bella Monzo

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve carried with me is the importance of routine and simply showing up. Growing up just outside Philadelphia, I spent weekends taking art classes at the University of the Arts. Those mornings began with a walk down Broad Street for coffee, followed by a step into a studio filled with students eager to create. Read more>>

Destinie Cleveland

I first learned one of the most important lessons of my education while sitting across from my freshman-year advisor in high school. We were filling out my schedule, and when it came time to pick an elective, I hesitated. I was in a STEM program but I also loved orchestra and the arts. Read more>>