April 10, 2010
New Urban Arts
High School Student
Hi, my name is Emely Barroso. I am a senior at Feinstein High School and have
been coming to New Urban Arts for four years. Throughout these four years, I’ve
been involved with their comics, watercolor and self-publishing programs, and
have participated in their summer program for two years. My passions are
storytelling, sequential arts, and painting. Last year, I started a Zine Team at my
high school and last Saturday, with New Urban Arts, organized a city-wide Zine
Fair here in the studio. I am graduating this June and am planning on going to
college to pursue a degree in visual arts or illustration.
Before I stepped through the doors of New Urban Arts, I was always the type of
person who apologized frequently (sometimes unnecessarily too). Maybe it’s
because I was also the type of person who didn’t like the person they were;
someone who didn’t think others liked that person either; someone who felt just
their presence was a burden to be around.
So when did it all change? When did I stop hanging my head down in shame and
holding it up with pride and self-worth? When did I stop being afraid of being
around others and start feeling comfortable around them? When did “maybe you
shouldn’t” get replaced with “you totally should”? When did others around me
stop saying “you shouldn’t apologize so much” or “stop being so sorry; it’s ok”
and start saying “wow, that’s great! You should totally go for that” and “I’m so
happy for you, Em”? All of that changed because of New Urban Arts.
Walking in that first day with my little yellow folder of drawings, I was petrified to
no end at what the people would be like, and ultimately shocked at how nice and
welcoming Sarah M., the first person I met here, was and is. So through New
Urban Arts, I feel like a lot has changed. I’ve changed.
It feels like all those sob stories I used to peddle have become a love story with
New Urban Arts; like my whole life, I’ve been watching an underdog story and it
feels like now, I’m really rooting for a hero.
Through this place, this amazing wonderful place, my sorry’s became thank
yous.
Thank you’s for the mentors and the students. Thank you’s for the memories and
the friends I’ve made here.
Thanks for making my high school experience something worth telling. Thank
you for being patient and giving me the room to become who I am today. Thank
you for giving me a future I’m really excited about. Thank you for letting me thank
you and for being here day after day.
Thank you, NUA.
Thank you.