Under the guiding principles of our districtwide initiative, the
Positivity Project, the #PositivityInAction mindset is our top priority. These past two weeks we focused on the character strengths of
OPM - Identifying and appreciating the good in others and
FAIRNESS.
Senior Jamisen Talanges is determined to become a Fashion Designer, starting her own brand that is sustainable and good for the environment.
But she didn't always know that.
A writer. A zookeeper. A hair stylist. The list of wanna-be careers would change almost daily.
The people in her life were the supports she needed to give her this direction. Her older cousin, Amanda Dalka, is an Art Director at Ludwig Plus. Her sister and 2020 Lake Shore graduate, Samantha Talanges, is currently majoring in Ad Design at the College of Creative Studies. Her mom, Debbie Talanges, is the Preschool Director and teacher at St. Germaine Catholic School; Like her mom, Jamisen has always been into arts and crafts. She likes art and drawing and her high school classes have reinforced this passion.
But, she enjoyed more than just drawing. She also loved creating outfits and watching runaway shows. She learned how-to sew from family.
It suddenly clicked. She could meld drawing with fashion and make both of these passions into a career. She off she went, visiting the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, touring the campus and falling in love with this industry even more. She enrolled in Advanced Placement Art and is currently building her portfolio with pieces related to ambiguity and versatility in fashion. "I want to turn traditional pieces into something untraditional and make a statement out of it," she said.
She is grateful for her best friend Kaylee Harwick who has been a huge supporter and her go-to person to talk fashion with. Another great resource for her as been her AP Art teacher Mrs. Bolen who has praised her for being self-motivated and eager to learn, to experiment, to create.
This eagerness is put into practice everyday and displayed through her work including the newspaper photo attached to this post. "I have focused [my portfolio pieces] on the detrimental effects that the fashion industry has on our environment," she explained. "The newspaper piece was a pair of bloomers I'm entering into an art contest which had to fit this theme: Listen to Women. It's focused on Amelia Bloomer who was a women's suffragist who normalized bloomers for female comfort. The reason it's made out of newspapers is because she was the first woman to edit and operate a news stand."
Several Seniors have yet to find what they could be enthusiastic about. Jamisen insists not to worry. She left us with these wise words: You're never completely stuck anywhere. Try things. Your passion will come to you.
People with the character strength of fairness believe that all people have value. They approach situations with an unbiased mindset and treat everyone with respect.
Life isn't fair.
We've all heard that phrase before. We've probably said it ourselves. It holds so much power when it is spoken about a death of someone who has held a special place in your heart.
At Lake Shore High School, Memorial Scholarships are created to commemorate individuals in a meaningful way. They are typically offered to Seniors to help pay for educational costs.
This year the John L. U'Ren Sportsmanship Scholarship was created in the memory of Beth U'Ren-Old, a Lake Shore alum and former athlete. She was a proud daughter of John L. U'Ren, who was a sports enthusiast and pillar of the community. He was honored by having the football stadium dedicated in his name.
With sports being such a pivotal part of the threads of their lives, they seek to continue this family legacy by offering a scholarship to a student-athlete that showcases the virtues of a true sportsman both on and off the field. The winner of this scholarship will not be chosen based on performance but on attitude.
All scholarships can be located on our Lake Shore High School Counseling webpage.
Looking forward, our upcoming character strengths are APPRECIATION OF BEAUTY AND EXCELLENCE (4/17-4/23) and PURPOSE (4/24-4/30).
