R.T-P.

RYAN THOMAS-PALMER

“With Community specifically, I think about the freedom and being able to focus on what I really want to do, which is art. So I get to take the classes that I really love and I get to make the classes into what I want them to be. I’ve taken as many art classes as I can take. I’ve taken a lot of open studio and advanced art, which lets me do whatever I want. But I also really like photography classes, because I’ve learned how to do that and I’ve gotten to experiment a lot with photography, and I’ve learned that I really love it. And I’ve gotten very comfortable with all of the art teachers. I don’t like the idea that high school is nearly over but I’m also really excited to be done with this part of my life. I feel like COVID-19 took away a lot of high school and I felt very stuck when we were in lockdown. so I’ve kind of been ready since then. I just wanted to get out and start. I was a lot more inclined to graduate early when we were in lockdown. So my junior year I applied to and got into Rhode Island School of Design. And once I got in, I decided to defer a lot of contemplating so that I could have my senior year in high school and learn how to make friends and have the experiences that I wouldn’t have if I had graduated early. I am very happy with my decision. I think it would have been a mistake to go. I think it would have been okay, but I would never have gotten this year back.”