By Acacia Bernier, Staff Writer
“What is my self image and how do I want to present myself to the world?”
A question that has long pondered in the minds and hearts of so many young people. However, for Ella Fortine it was more than that. As an eleventh grader at Poly High School, she has been able to involve herself substantially and has acquired a taste for life that comes out of her passions for music, human rights, and self-expression. She possesses an aura of self-assurance and confidence that anyone around her immediately notices.
But she has not always been this way.
When asked what was the biggest challenge she has overcome, she says it was the way she “thought about ” herself. While sitting with Ella, it is evident that she is very comfortable in her own skin, a quality not often found on this high school campus. However, she made it clear that “establishing confidence” was a major part of the dilemna she endured during middle school. The story of Ella is no simple matter, and likewise it was the perception of herself as “more worthy of things” that persisted as a difficulty that was hard to overcome. It had become a dizzying maze that was underwhelming to get out of.
Yet, Ella found a way out.
How?
Ella made it clear “that the matter of one’s self-image should not be a burden,” but moreover a gateway to expression, and a journey of discovery one should hold with an attitude of curiosity and pleasure. When that weight of judgment was finally lifted off, life itself had the ability to become “lighter.” Friends became closer, and a genuine character of hers was cultivated into the high schooler she is today. As an AP student, Spotlight writer, avid participant in Amnesty Club, President of Vindication Club as well as Music Tech participant, she gives 100% of herself to her passions and does so with a genuine care.
But what is the purpose behind such an extremely busy yet advantageous high school career?
When the query of the purpose of life was posed upon her she took the way of Existentialism, holding fast to the notion that it is “what you make of it.” With such an liberating approach to life it does not come as a surprise when she believes that her goal in life is to “make the most change for the better,” taking advantage of the opportunities afforded to her in hopes of leaving society better than she found it. In this way, she aspires to express the values of respect, making it evident that every individual, no matter their background or appearance, deserves the right to another’s civility – for courtesy itself is basic humanity. While “respect can be lost,” she asserts, “everyone deserves to be treated with respect,” especially if they have done nothing to lose it in the first place.
It must be taken into account that there is always much more to learn about a person than what there appears to be on the outside. Ella Fortine is not just a student, not just a writer or president of this or that club – she is a hope for a future better than it currently is. She promises to share those insights with you in Spotlight News.