DREW SHECHTMAN

I've had so many great friends and teachers that I don't even know where to start.

Because of Dreyfoos, I've had the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting, unique, and caring people. It's been so amazing to be a part of this community of artists who always want to help each other out. I've been nothing but encouraged and complimented by both peers and teachers, and this environment has allowed me to grow tremendously along with everyone else. The last four years have gone by faster than anyone could have ever imagined and now we're almost ready to graduate; and although we are leaving Dreyfoos, we will all take a part of it with us in the next steps of our journeys.

Thanking my teachers is the least I can do. Thank you times a million Mrs. G for teaching us everything we need to know in Photoshop and so much more. You always have such a positive and uplifting attitude that made it easy to talk with you and share ideas. I definitely wouldn't be the artist or person I am today without all of your help. Thank you Mr. Stod for introducing me and the rest of the class to photography, and especially for pushing us all to create our best work. I looked forward to your class every odd day and couldn't wait to learn the next steps. I'm not sure if you're gonna see this, but Ms. Jahn, I miss you!!!! Shoutout to Mr. Delgado and Mrs. Prince for teaching me in the second half of my high school career, and always supporting all of the weird pieces and ideas I had. Lastly, thank you Ms. Van Reeth for always having the most interesting lessons for us, I've never had a teacher as theatrical and engaging. You taught us an insane amount of info throughout the year and helped nurture my newfound love for art history.

And of course, I send my love to all my friends who have helped me make it this far, everyone in VA/DM rocks 🤟. I wish I was better at expressing my gratitude overall, but I hope everyone knows how much they mean to me and how much they've impacted my life :o) I wish everyone luck in their future endeavors!

Sincerely,

Drew Shechtman

Congrats on making it to your final year of highschool. Like me, many of you may be stressing about the next steps (rightfully so). Hopefully I can give some helpful advice based on what I’ve learned this year :o)

College is probably a lot more expensive than you realize. I would start applying to outside scholarships ASAP, especially over the summer when you may not have as much to do. Start with smaller ones, like local/ state scholarships, or ones that are for a specific group of people, giving you a higher chance of being selected. And to save you stress as you begin your final year at Dreyfoos, I would highly recommend getting your common app info all set up over the summer, including your personal essay, because you will also need to be writing (multiple) essays for each school you end up applying to throughout the year. It’s really important that you turn in your strongest work, which for most people can’t be done at the last minute, so planning and time management are UBER important this year!

For your portfolio, you already have a strong and cohesive body of work from your AP 2D class, so it would be a great time to experiment and make as much new work as you can before you have to leave. It might open up something new, plus, schools usually like to see that you are thinking and taking risks. Use all the resources you have at Dreyfoos- the darkroom, studio, and even the teachers! Applying to schools can be extremely stressful and time consuming, so try to make sure you take moments to enjoy your senior year to the fullest.

Good luck,

Drew Shechtman <3