E&S Isn't Everything

By: Samaya DeBose December 6, 2018 Carver HSES 2021.

Without the freedom of expression, where would the world be?

(E&S Art Club)

Engineering, Science, and the arts?

Careers focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) are encouraged in schools like Carver HSES because of the abundance in jobs and the undying need for more cardiologists, electrical engineers, and software developers. Though many people actually find gratification in the sciences, what happens when those few passionate students stray away from the supported and “honorable” path of going to college to work towards a life in the sciences? How does one navigate balancing the desire to appease their family, make a living, all while having a career that feeds their creative passion? It is very difficult to exercise the freedom of expression, the nineteenth article in the declaration of human rights, in a lifelong career.

Why art matters to us... (click to watch)

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”- Pablo Picasso

To learn more about the career paths of the artistically inclined and to highlight the importance of the arts I interviewed people of various occupations who are interested the arts.

Tim Schumacher

Guitar Teacher and Human Service Worker

Tim Schumacher initially did not choose a life in music, but when his father insisted that he learn to play an instrument. As a kid, he soon fell in love with music and eventually the sound of the guitar. Throughout his childhood, he expanded his skills by taking music lessons from various musicians and over time, he grew well skilled in the art of musicianship. Throughout high school, he continued to take guitar lessons which eventually led to summer internships where he would teach guitar. After high school, he did not go straight to college. Instead, he took a gap year. Becoming part of an album bearing band proved to be much more complicated than anticipated by Schumacher, especially with all of his friends gone to different cities for college. So after his gap year, Schumacher went to college to get a degree. He eventually would work to become a human service worker, which was not completely random since he grew up teaching his younger brother, who was born with Down's Syndrome. He also gained experience through his father’s work as a minister and director of a children’s home. Nevertheless, music still serves as large part of his life as he concurrently works as a music teacher in Glenside, PA and attends “jam sessions” on his off nights for fun.

Christine Swift

Art Teacher at Carver HSES

Christine Swift, a woman whose whole life involved the arts, now works at George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science as an art teacher. As a teacher of the arts at a science focused school, she witnesses the impact of the arts at such a high-stress school on different students firsthand. Speaking about her classes and art club, she says, “for some kids they enjoy being here because they enjoy the relief that it gives them. They find it very comforting.” Swift says. But for other students she adds, “it gives them a place where they can finally feel their talents are being shown because we have a lot of artistic kids who have been pushed into non-artistic fields.” Unlike many of her students, throughout her life, art was always supported in her household since she was born to an artist father and attended Philadelphia’s High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA). From a very young age, she was sure that she would be an artist so she spent her life pursuing this passion. She worked as a graphic designer, sign painter, and even a computer science teacher before she became an art teacher at Carver HSES.

Marvin DeBose

Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs at Pace University

When interviewed, Marvin DeBose shared how he grew up with a passion for writing beginning in the second grade where he was required to write a journal every day. To become a better writer, he continued to write often and remained inspired by reading books like The Autobiography of Malcolm X . By the age of 15, he got his first published article which was about local basketball players heading to college. Throughout his adolescence, his love for reading and writing was obvious to his parents as he continued to engage in writing opportunities. However, when it came time for college, he initially pursued computer science due to its high pay grade and abundance in jobs. But he soon found out that computer science wasn’t a good fit for him. That, paired with his love for reading and writing, caused him to switch his major to journalism. Since, DeBose has began a career in the student affairs field with his experience at Edinboro University, Temple University, and now Pace University. He currently channels his love for writing through blogging.

"Passion is energy." -Oprah Winfrey

Whether in the form of visual arts, music, or writing, the freedom of expression plays a large role in many people’s lives. The arts has proven to be a competitive field to pursue but does that mean students should dismiss their interests in it? Should artistic students give up and find a more guaranteed lifestyle rather than pursue one of the most pleasurable parts of life? The impact of art in people’s lives is an unmatched beauty. Without the freedom of expression, where would the world be?

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