YOUTHSROOM

Erica Deleon 2020
House	Career & College
Advisor	Korie Johnson
Plans	TulsaTech, Graphic design
Advice	Honestly, don’t take school as a joke, as much as high school is an incredible experience and such a time to be alive (you know, like the “young wild and free” quote). But please remember this a time to also represent yourself and who you are wanting to become. I know it’s silly coming from me because I’m not the brightest student but there are so many different ways to be bright. Please use your time wisely in every shape and from, and remember to spend time with your family. Just please please take advantage of your time in the best way possible. Regarding capstone advice: do it, just fricken do it. You don’t understand how helpful this is to you. The opportunities TSAS is trying to give you are so amazing and something you can never get at any other school. I know it might be a little tedious but it’s so worth it.
Type	Portfolio

“Forever Youth” is something we can all relate to. I believe that no matter what age you are, you are truly never too young to experience something new. I would have never understood this concept if it wasn't for enjoying (more like loving) the kpop group BTS. Silly, right? I never knew enjoying a genre of music would transform my understanding of myself and the world around me.

Learning BTS’ message helped me see that being yourself is the most beautiful thing you can do; I remember this short period of time where I hid the fact I love anime, that I'm 'superwholocked’, and that I love to cosplay. However, my fear of expressing my interests led to me walking away from the friends that I had made in the community. I wanted people to like me, but how could I do that if I was hiding behind a mask that was keeping the real me in a lonely, isolated room?

I've come to realize that having our own interests make us human and make us individuals and that you should never be shamed of the things you enjoy. Personally, all of these things I love have led me to my career path. In essence, being a fan of something is okay and something you should embrace, not hide.

The reason I named my graphic design work youthsroom is because I didn’t want to be suck in one area of work; I want to be able to cover everything, from working with people to celebrate their favorite idols, to making layouts. Being able to explore is how we are able to keep our youth forever.

How It Changed

Honestly I changed my plan a lot, I was supposed to make a magazine, I ended up making a little online portfolio. But also to add I think this turned out way better then I thought, as I started getting paid for my design work as I started to work with more people.

Reflection

As I started going I learned I just like really only doing graphic work and also making one at a time. Not involving my other interest (as much as I love photography), but just focusing on one thing—it’s nice and more fun for me that way. I think my biggest take away is that although my work isn’t the best, I think its fine as long as I’m working towards my goal of really some day understanding how to use some Adobe software.