Call me Imelda.  

My muse is a refrigerator magnet.  It is small, with six short words plainly printed across it: “Change your shoes, Change your life.”  Just ask Cinderella what a difference a pair of shoes can make.  Shoes are a wonderful metaphor for life—they are always being changed to match one’s personal need and style and they are capable of making bold statements.  This, combined with my own personal love of shoes, is why I chose footwear as the center of my scholarship project.

            Shoes are a perfect way to express the varied aspects of my life.  Each shoe is different, but the two shoes that make up a pair form a balance between two different sides of my life. 

These heels were made for paintin'

        The first idea that came to mind was to pair an art shoe with a chemistry shoe.  The art shoe expresses my first love--social sciences and arts.  Ever since I was little, I've been making messes in the kitchen (and, much to my mother's dismay, on the hardwood floors of my bedroom) doing random arts and crafts.  As the years progressed, I went through rubber stamping, handmade paper, polymer clay, charcoal drawing,  and pastels.  For now, I've settled on making glass beads (like the ones seen on the shoe) and drawing botanicals with colored pencils. My sophomore year, I took AP Art History, and it increased my desire to observe and create.  Actually seeing hundreds of these famous pieces of art in person was the next logical step. Summer before my senior year, I went on a two-week long trip with about twenty five other students to Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome, where I saw basically the entire Gardner's Art book.  I was so glad I had taken Art History before that trip, because I knew all the famous paintings and why they were famous.

        Art has always been a huge part of my life and one of my favorite things to see and produce. Chemistry on the other hand...

Change your shoes, change your life.

Entering high school, science was by far my least favorite subject.  There was something about it that just kind of turned me off.  That was until my junior year when I met Mr. Winterscheidt.  I went into Chemistry dreading the deathly boring world of electron affinity and the periodic table.  But somehow Mr. W pushed me and motivated me to not only care about science, but to actually earn the highest grade in the class.  He even (through magic voodoo, I'm sure) convinced me to take AP Chemistry the following semester--easily the most challenging course offered at our school.  Somehow, in fewer than ninety days, Mr. W. not only made me appreciate and understand science, but he even had me rearranging my schedule to fit in AP Chemistry and then Physics for the following year.  Slipping into a new pair of shoes wasn't that easy, but once they were broken in, they fit just fine.

PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

 If the shoe fits...

   This pair of shoes is about to be retired.  It's been worn by four of my brothers, and it has been around for years.  From marching band to Key Club to Quiz Bowl, Decatur High School has been a great place for me to learn and mature.  It has been a part of me ever since I was little, because I can remember going to Open House nights with my older brothers and meeting the teachers that I now take classes with. As a senior, I'm beginning to outgrow this shoe--although independent studies and internships have allowed me to stretch it a little and better shape it to fit my interests.  Still, I'm ready to move up a size or two--to something a little more comfortable.

Baby Needs A New Pair Of Shoes

   I had always heard about the allure of New Orleans and had visited the city a couple years ago.  It seemed like a fun place and so, Tulane went on my list of possible schools.  When I actually began to narrow down the search for the right college, I learned that there was a lot more I liked about Tulane than just its setting. I read about how focused its students are, the many honors programs, and the dedicated faculty.  Something that intrigued me about Tulane was its Glass Art Department.  It was the only school on my shrinking list that even had a glass department, and I read about the opportunities in art offered to non-art majors. The campus visit sealed the deal.  Not only did I love the city and the beautiful campus, but on a visit to the book store, I found a certain green Prismacolor pencil I had been searching for at art stores, and the best pencil sharpener I've laid eyes on.  Tulane and New Orleans spoke to me--it seems I have just the outfit to match these shoes.