Students of Sparta: Mallory Collins

You know Mallory, even if you don't really know Mallory. She's the senior that is always wearing an amazing outfit - making you look down at yourself and second guessing your outfit -  we want to know how putting them together comes so naturally to her! For Mallory, clothes are a way of self-expression. The past two years, Mallory has taken pre-college courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and made life-long friends while pursuing something she is passionate about. That's her niche - once everyone finds theirs, high school becomes a little more easy.

Many students find themselves in a different friend group every year. Sometimes it can be exciting, but other times it can be upsetting - it all depends on the circumstances. But people change through the years, obviously, I have! We all have changed so much since we were pre-teens to now, young adults; change is good, it's essential as we're growing. Personally, I was really shy during freshman year but over time, I became more outgoing and confident - you can see it in my clothes! My experience at FIT was really when I lost my fear of change. At this "safe place" everyone had the same interest, everyone supported each other...there were no cliques, and we always hung out after class. It's what gets me excited for college, because people may group based on their common interests, but there are no "groups", you know? It's very different. High school students should be mixing more, but there can't be much blame; often, they don't realize they are in a clique and no one is out to get anyone else - there's not a lot of bullying at SHS, it's just more clique-based, that's all. They care about social quotas. When you find yourself and your people, you have one goal: to improve yourself and work on your skills.