Hi guys

To be completely honest, these past four years have been an absolute whirlwind of crazy, weird, and creative energy. But if everything made perfect sense I probably wouldn’t be able to say I was apart of the Visual Arts department.

When I think of building nine, I think of pure and honest generosity. Whether it be simple things like sharing paint or splitting the last piece of watercolor paper, to a tea bag when you felt sick from Mr. Armetta or Ms. Ramos using all her muscle to help you drill together some random trash you found in the shed, to hundreds of critiques and kind words from your teachers and peers, I was always overwhelmed by how much you all had to give. It’s your selflessness and kind spirits that will carry with me for the rest of my life. It’s the feeling that we would succeed by boosting eachother up, that when one of us did something remarkable it was a win for our class as a whole. You are all truly amazing, and I’m so proud to have been a small part of such an incredibly talented group of people.

Speaking of the culmination of all things generous, kind, and talented herself…

MS. JAHN! You’ve taught me to never give up on myself, to be patient, and work harder when things weren’t turning out how I wanted them to, and that sass should always be served with a smile. I could never thank you enough for being so kind to me these past four years. You’ve been a truly positive influence on my life, always laughing with me and there to listen when I needed it. You inspire me to be a better and stronger young woman.

And finally….

If there's one place on Earth I was truly myself, it was the printmaking room.

*insert tokyo drift beat here*

My printmaking family!

I think we can all agree there was never a dull moment. What I would do to be laughing with you guys again!! I can’t wait to see how far you go and what you create in the future. Thank you for sharing the very best and happiest moments of highschool with me. You guys taught me true friendship, and I’ll be searching to find our kind of infectious energy everywhere I go. I’m so grateful for you and I love you all so so much.

I’m so genuinely happy to call myself a Dreyfoos Visual Arts Alumni! We made it.

Thank you to the very best class. All my love,

Ava Kehde

Congratulations!!

First of all, be so proud of how far you’ve come. I’d say senior year was my favorite year because it really showed how much I had grown at Dreyfoos. Maybe you ended up where you thought you would be and maybe you've found yourself on a whole new path, but it’s so important to take a breath and just be grateful for your journey thus far.

I came into Dreyfoos as a freshman with a passion for art, thinking I would end up going to some fashion school in a city far from home. About ¾ through sophomore year, I felt burnt out. (I'm sure some of you can relate... it happens) I’m ending my senior year heading to college in a big city far from home for Political Science, something I never would have seen myself doing four years ago. If you’re struggling with finding your path right now, be patient with yourself. You don’t have to figure it out overnight, and you won’t anyway, so stop trying. The creativity you uncover at dreyfoos will carry with you whether you pursue the arts or not.

It’s so important to find your balance this year. Things are bound to get stressful when taking on the college application process, so budgeting your time and being disciplined is so crucial. I was working 20 hours a week on top of cross country on top of being a world class procrastinator, so this was 100000000% a struggle for me. What ultimately helped me was physically writing out my goals on paper for the end of the week, month, and year, as well as dropping some events to make sure I would have enough time to get my work done. It’s going to be hard, but keep your dreams in mind, you're so close. Artists are resilient!

Hug your friends! Senior year really does fly by, so make time to hangout with the people you love. It’s the memories from this year that mean the most to me because you really see everyone become the best version of themselves.

My last piece of advice to tie this together is to be fiercely unique. Your experience at Dreyfoos is truly one of a kind, so embrace all the weird things you’ve learned and picked up along the way! You're going to have to really look within yourself when writing your college essay and supplements, so think about what makes you special.

You’re going to have the most amazing time, enjoy every second!

(hopefully pandemic free)

Goodluck and best wishes,

Ava Kehde