Passion projects run the world

Linda Lin

Mitchel Resnik at the MIT Media Lab seeks to enrich education through his philosophy of “projects, passion, peers, and play.” According to Resnik, “the ability to think and act creatively” will be the future of success. Many Bay Area teenagers typify this, as they go big with their passions.

Colleen Gu is an aspiring animator who is developing a short film; her project is something she holds close to her heart.

“The process of creating this film in and of itself gives me time to relish on everything I loved and seek to find in the future,” Gu said.

Gu cites her passion project as a major source of development, both artistically and introspectively. "As I mindlessly draw frame-by-frame, I start to think about my relationship with things of my past... how I struggle to process things I’ve felt and get in touch with my true emotions, though I haven’t found a conclusive atttude. I think that coming to terms with them will help me come to terms with myself,” Gu said. She hopes to inspire young creatives to realize their passions. “No matter what kind of thing you’re envisioning, you should just put it down on paper,” Gu said.

Avantika Swaminathan has devoted the past few years to developing a nonprofit chocolate business with their younger sister.

Swaminathan takes hours out of their day to perfect the sweet treats. The process is grueling, but the reward is much sweeter.

“We just wanted to provide some joy and share our unique and handmade flavors... just being able to share something I love with this community,” Swaminathan said.

The insight Swaminathan has gained from their passion project is the icing on top; their firsthand experience with business has aided them in many facets of their life.

“I plan to study vocal performance. I’m going to have to be able to market myself and knowing that I have gained those skills from marketing my products, that’s going to carry over,” Swaminathan said.

Chocolates by Avantika Swaminathan

Art by Colleen Gu