The most common question I faced as a kid was the dreaded “Can you draw me?” 

As the designated “art kid,” losing hours to my sketchbook was part of my everyday routine for years. And despite the frequent requests for a doodle or a portrait, there was never any pressure, just an undying love for the craft.

But after I moved to the Bay Area a few years ago, I remember suddenly feeling behind on everything. Coding was a skill that apparently everyone was supposed to know; a whole system of classism existed within which math class they put you in. And since they didn’t have enough art classes, I couldn’t use one of the few things I had years of experience in.

Like every other school in the Bay Area, LAHS places a huge emphasis on a STEM education. We have so many classes that are foreign to most schools: BioTech, Forensics, and Advanced Scientific Investigation (ASI), just to name a few. 

Now, the part of me that loves science and wants to pursue it feels like a kid in a candy store. I’ve loved every science class I’ve ever taken, and for the next two years, I’m determined to take as many science classes that I can convince my counselor to let me take. It’s a huge privilege to have access to the vast opportunities that LAHS offers. 

But the art kid inside me dies a little.

Filling my schedule with AP Chemistry, AP Physics and Biotech doesn’t leave much space for anything else. My non-STEM hobbies and passions are squeezed out of the picture, left abandoned. In some ways, I’m lucky. I truly enjoy the sciences, but the culture that’s been forged for decades makes me feel for the people who don’t.

I have friends that are too embarrassed to put their art classes up when they post their class schedules in the fall. The message is clear: it’s either STEM, or it’s not important. We’ve all felt the crushing academic pressure of LAHS, but how much of it are we putting on ourselves? Wouldn’t we be taking a huge load off ourselves if we let ourselves pursue the things that brought us joy, and stop judging those that do?

So, with that in mind, I’ll leave you with this quote from Picasso: “Art washes away the dust from everyday life.” So, to anyone who’s ever felt like their passions don’t matter, I’m telling you now they do. It’s okay to prioritize what makes you happy, and it’s okay if it doesn’t fit what our culture has decided is most important. There is in fact room for both science and art in this world.

And with that in mind, I confirmed my class schedule for next year: I’m taking jazz band, and reclaiming my love for the arts.