#mindbuilders

“In my family, we don’t dress based on our own traditional backgrounds. We dress based on our own style and liking. However, my mother always tells me not to dress to impress others but for my own heart. On the other hand, she showed me the difference between trashy (inappropriate) and classy (presentable) helping define my sense of what to wear and what not to wear. My mother would use the examples of crop tops and short shorts as what she viewed as inappropriate and would give off the wrong impression. On the contrary, my grandmother ensured that I dress to give the right impression to people because it shows how I’ve been raised and the type of home I came from. In my country (Jamaica), we wear bandanas on culture day but in school we wore uniforms that were pre-selected and strongly enforced. Since I moved to New York my style has changed. I now dress based on my mood, the season, and the occasion. For school, I think of ways to look edgy but comfortable. For example, I would wear black jeans, red hoodie and red sneakers; I would also have my hair out with curls. For church, I go for a classy teenager look with a lot of jewelry and bright colors like a burgundy skirt and a bright colored african print shirt. My hair is now thick, black and natural but before I used to perm it thinking it would make my life easier. But now my eyes have opened and I realize that natural beauty is the best beauty. My style is based off of me and what I like and not what everyone else is wearing. I use style as a way of expressing who I am”.

“I dress according to the occasion. However, I tend to lean towards the more formal form of dressing. In all honesty, I would wear a three piece suit to bed if I had the chance. I enjoy looking sharp and I like standing out from the crowd in the best way possible and I believe suits provide a diverse set of choices in details- "nothing suits me like a suit". I have a very unique personality and I manage to dress differently from day to day. With suits I can personalize my style while still appearing professional and that is extremely important to me. I graduated from the Learning Tree prep last year. There I played the African drum and I also performed in many plays and shows. Now I am in the Art and Italian club, but I am most dedicated and passionate about the spoken word club”.

“Growing up, clothes were never a big part of my life. All that mattered to me was that I had something to keep on my back and I was fine with it. As I began to grow I came to the realization that not only are clothes important but they say a lot about a person and their personality. Amongst my friends and family ideas related to clothing often differ from one another; some love how clothes look on them and whether or not the outfit is appealing enough, while others don't care for popular opinions and just dress to dress. I am one of those people. Although I have no regard for other people's opinion of me, I do know what to wear and what not to mainly because of my love for color coordination. I learned this from my uncles who helped explain that coordinating colors makes an outfit pop. However, my clothes come off as basic, mainly because I’m not trying to make a personal statement, it's just something I'm wearing. If I want to make a personal statement, I'll make one myself”.

Late at night I can see the moon and the stars

How they shine through the fog of the smoke that man created

And it makes me think about life

How not all the stars shine as bright

But the ones that do make it through shine the brightest of them all

How can you be so strong-

To make it through every night

Through this thick smoke

And still shine so bright?

There are times where I don't see you shine at all

And I worry about you

Worry if the man’s smoke was too much for you 

But after I see you shine brighter than ever

If you can make it, why can't I?

 -Jihad, Age 18