When Kailah Dupee, senior, was younger, she would constantly doodle. Being inspired by Van Gogh’s paintings and her love for the Renaissance and Greco-Roman times have let her creativity blossom into a love for history, the field she is majoring in at a college in the Netherlands.
Dupee will be attending University College Roosevelt in Middelburg, Netherlands. Although she is majoring in antiquities, a study of ancient Greek and Roman culture, she plans to continue with her artistic abilities as a hobby.
“I did [consider majoring in fashion or art], but I realized that I don’t do the best when I’m forced to be consistently creative. I prefer to let my creative ideas come naturally and I feel I don’t do as well when I am forced to,” Dupee said.
Kristen LaJeunesse, Dupee’s art and ceramics teacher of four years, shares why Dupee has excelled massively in her creativity and art strengths all throughout high school.
“Kailah has been someone who from working remotely to being in person for the last few years, takes their craft of art making seriously,” LaJeunesse said. “It’s their lifestyle. It’s not something that’s just a course that they take one period in their day. She is a true creator whose medium is really broad[…] so it’s like their medium is limitless, which is kind of unique, actually, it’s not necessarily something that I see in every art student.”
According to Dupee, she wants to include her love for history into her major while traveling to new places and expanding her knowledge.
“I want to go into archaeology. I would love to go on digs in like different parts of the world seeing more unseen places, as well as maybe entering into museum studies and learning how to curate museums and exhibits,” Dupee said.
According to LaJeunesse, when Dupee finishes college and gets into a career in history or archaeology, there are certain qualities about her that will ensure her success in her future.
“If you consider Kailah like a library of experiences and knowledge, art and design is a huge part of that […] Kailah is focused. She’s engaged in the task at hand, which she curates on her own […] So she doesn’t isolate herself from others and she is one of the most inclusive and equitable thinkers and doers,” LaJeunesse said. “I truly only hear acceptance and positivity come out of her mouth and in her actions. I think others have a lot to learn from the way that she lives her life.”
Despite her excitement, Dupee believes there will be some hard challenges with being an eight hour flight away from home. She still believes, though, that the experience will be worth the distance in the long run.
“I love the walkability of [the Netherlands]. The cities are closer and […] public transportation is better. I like the various sources of people in different cultures,” Dupee said. ‘I’m worried about being in a new place. It’s different and culture shocks are a big thing. That would be the main problem as well as learning a whole other language.”
According to Dupee, as hard as the worries she has will be, it is also thrilling to have a new experience right in front of her and something exciting to pursue throughout her life.
“I’m also pumped for what’s in their future…just throwing those doors of the world wide open and going after what they’re interested in…I’ll get to see all of the adventures that they’re going on,” LaJeunesse said.
According to Dupee, the friends that she has made in her art classes, including her teacher, will always be a part of her life when she leaves for college in the Netherlands
“[My interest in art] has led me to make some really amazing friends in my life,” Dupee said. “I’ve made so many friends in my art classes, ones that I’ve considered to be my best friends and will continue to have friendships later in life.”
