1. Reflect on your time as a student at TRUE Skool. What were some pivotal moments that shaped your growth, and how does it feel now stepping into a new leadership and support role within the organization?
I think the pivotal moment that really changed my growth is not only how much True Skool has been more than willing to allow me to express myself at my fullest, but also make me feel like I actually belonged into the family, and made me feel more than welcome. The program really helped me embrace the idea of being myself, and fully embraced the underground world of hip-hop (before it became so mainstream), down to its roots. Now that I've grown old enough to not only remain as a true alumni, but also as an intern, I feel like it is much more imperative for the students that I'll be supporting to speak up and speak out for themselves, and to embrace what makes them so talented and whole as an individual.
2. If you had to describe TRUE Skool to someone who has never heard of it, what would you say? How has the organization influenced your personal and professional path?
True Skool is an organization that is dedicated to the culture of hip-hop and the transformative arts that it (as a movement) paved way for a world of undeniable self-expression, and the passion to use such creative forms of visual arts, music, and/or dance to tell about our story in the making, and how we see our world in the eyes of the beholder, and how we see ourselves and of our potential in the future.
In regards to my personal life, True Skool (and by extension, the rest of hip-hop culture) has often emblazened the ideas i've always had in terms of me writing my own story, and how I would use it to see the world in my own eyes, and how it helps me use such power as a form of civil protest against those who try to "normalize" our ways into living a dull, colorless, and a generally lifeless way of living.
3. What motivated you to return to TRUE Skool as an intern? How do you see yourself making an impact on the next generation of students?
One of the biggest reasons why I returned to True Skool was to further learn how to expand myself towards all of the skills that I have learned there, and accelerate the work that I do into showcasing the best out of myself, and ensuring that in every True Skool Showcase that I participate in, that the performance of my own, and of the next generation of students would be bigger than the last.
4. Share some of the most valuable lessons you learned at TRUE Skool that you carry with you today. How do these lessons influence the way you approach your new role?
One of the most valuable lessons that I learned through True Skool as a form of advice is basically to "break the music".
Though it may sound vague at first, the true meaning of the lesson is that you should learn to free yourself about the concept of "harmony" and "order", and of any sort of creative work, be it music, art, video game development, creative writing, etc., of it being "correct". Having someone tell you of what to do, and how to do it blocks creativity, and is often counterproductive in working through art forms as such that I have listed.
So too, applies to the sociological scale of our communities, of our systems of education, and of our world. Most social norms and unwritten rules today are often designed in a way that it makes the general masses often being unable to think for themselves, and often unable to think outside the box, where this is a problem that plagues a lot of American schools, often from the perspective of the students.
Simply put, I'd advise and encourage others to gain the capacity to grow and break free, often changing how we engage in these systems, whichs help with changing or even abolishing the systems that holds us back. Such change is among the first methods to opening one's eyes to the true colors of the world, and to be able to step off the path of least resistance in order to help, protest, and fight for a better world.
5. How has your experience at TRUE Skool influenced your long-term goals? What role does hip-hop culture play in your aspirations for the future, both personally and professionally?
True Skool has since become part of the foundations of my long-term life work as to create an original multimedia audiovisual series that is essentially telling a story of myself, of the world, and of how I see the future in the highest possible form. Hip-hop as a movement has since become a key aspect in showing the colors of the characters within the multimedia story that often experiences the world for what it really is, and how they're able to make the most of it while it lasts!