“You will never be able to experience anything. So, please, do poetic justice to your soul and simply experience yourself.” -Albert Camus.
Sydnee Te’o, one of Santa Rosa Academy’s top ten students, enjoys art, learning, poetry, literature, and music. However, “enjoys” does not begin to justify the passion that Sydnee has for all of these aspects of life.
Albert Camus, a French philosopher and author, wrote Sydnee Te’o’s favorite quote (see above). This is the quote that Te’o believes reflects the attributes she most strongly strives to achieve within herself. She says, “I think one of the greatest gifts in life is the expanse that we as humans can experience”. Te’o explains whether it be the deep relationships we can have within our communities, the range of emotions that we feel and cause others to feel, the things we can create or even the experiences outside of our own lives (such as nature and the creatures amongst it), that experiencing as much as we can, and most importantly understanding what we enjoy is important to every individual that wishes to live as purposefully as possible.
Whether it be mundane or novel ideas, Te’o believes that poetry strives to reveal the grandness of all experiences, poetry makes known the importance of all experiences. Te’o says, “I believe that having performed ‘poetical justice through the form of experiencing what is important to you, is an overlooked definition of what life’s meant to me.”
Te’o deeply values unique perspectives that individuals have, when asked on her views of education and the education system, she says, “On one hand, I believe that the education system suppresses individuals’ freedom by shaping their mentalities to believe that education is a one-way street to success.” Te’o also mentions that the school system can limit personal time for creativity, enrichment, and socialization. She believes that if we want to advance as a society, it’s important to have minds that think from unique perspectives.
While it may sound unexpected coming from a driven academic student, Sydnee also emphasizes that education should still be required, as it was an important part of her life since she finds great value in deepening her knowledge and understanding of subjects. Te’o mentions, “I believe that any individual who wishes to understand themselves, or the world, better, can look to education and find an answer.”
We see her appreciation of education in her favorite time period. Some of her favorite periods in time are the early 1300s and late 1800s. The early 1300s is an interesting period, considering that it was when the Renaissance began, a rebirth of humanity, with the rise in scientific questionings, passionate and emotional splendors of art, and the rise of figures with unique minds and viewpoints that would shape future generations. Te’o expresses, “Particularly, Michelangelo’s statues and Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’ are, in my opinion, some of the greatest masterpieces to come from and be given to humanity.” The 1800s is another period in which Te’o favors. She enjoys the mid-1800s since her favorite artists and styles of work came from that time. Her favorite artists include Gustave Doré, who illustrated Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” as well as John Milton’s Paradise Lost.
From an outside perspective, many may not see Te’o’s appreciation for the fine arts and how it shapes her views on life. She mentions, “Many people may not know that I have a strong affinity for the fine arts, and that I believe life is most vividly expressed through engagement and creation of such. Whether it be poetry, literature, or the visual arts, they are all very important in my life.” Sydnee practices what she preaches, and lives her life through art, ensuring that it is in almost every aspect of her life. She takes her time to analyze different paintings and poems in hopes that it will help her understand the creator of those fine works.
A deeper understanding of Te’o’s appreciation for art is easily seen when she says, “The aspect of art that is most interesting to me is dissecting who or what the artist was”. She also says, “Understanding that the amalgamation of an individual’s life comes together in their work is something that stands out to me in many pieces. I also admire the degree of passion that is found in great works of art; I find that the amount of time and energy that the artists pour into learning and developing a specific skill set is something that deserves to be admired.” Individuals like Te’o help keep the value and appreciation of art alive in our modern society.
Along with passion and education, however, come challenges. One of the challenges she faced during her high school career was academic burnout. Many students face the inevitable burnout from school, and Sydnee shares how she persevered through this dreadful problem. She says, “In order to persevere, I gave myself constant reminders that the end goal would be worthwhile. I was able to remind myself that the feelings of fulfillment and personal satisfaction from producing earnest work would overcome the momentarily tedious assignment”. This mindset helped Sydnee do her work throughout high school, and the satisfaction and fulfillment she mentions were rightfully rewarded. Her hard work and determination has helped her become one of SRA’s top ten students.