Destined by Chobe

Destined by Chobe - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

My high school yearbook quote would be “Destined for Greatness.” I didn’t always feel that way, but by the time I graduated, it felt normal. I believed it because I was working on things that made me feel good about myself, that made me feel whole. Fashion design is one of those things. Everyone needs to be clothed, right? No shirt, no shoes, no service (we won’t mention how that’s restrictive to those experiencing hardships that affect their ability to procure a shirt or shoes; this is a happy essay!). When we look at everyone needs to be clothed as a universal truth, it excites me to be in a position to do the dressing. Different shapes, different coverage needs, different materials, different wants; I like listening to someone describe what they’d like to be able to wear, and to create it for them. Do you remember what it felt like as a child to come home from school and change into comfortable clothes? (My sister and I called them soft clothes. Specifically, soft pants.) I want everyone to have that feeling when they put on clothes that I’ve designed.

Attending an arts high school gave me the chance to really branch out and cater to what “artsy” kids like to wear. There was a lot of cutting holes into perfectly fine jeans, and sewing on embellishments. There was a ton of “make this uneven” and dye this purple. It was fantastic and let me realize that as the designer I’m not always in control; I have to listen to what customers want versus what I want them to have. The first time someone said a design of mine was great, I waved it away. It was OK. But it wasn’t great. But to that person, it was, and I needed to remember to listen to what others said instead of how I was feeling. Why was I feeling that way anyway? Deep down I knew I was pretty close to great, and destined to get there.

I worked on projects in high school that had nothing to do with fashion, to get as much as I could from the school. I worked on plays and set design and videography. And each time I tried something new, I tried to reach that greatness someone told me I have. I’m still trying. I wish I had a yearbook quote that I could look back at whenever I felt daunted, just as a reminder.

I’m destined for greatness. And soft pants.