Fashion junior Zishae Riley walks the Red Carpet to opportunity!

Why choose Baltimore Design School?

My interest in art mainly. Not just art, but specifically fashion. No other school in the city offers a fashion program as diverse and intensive as this one, and all the other schools in the city focus on Fine Arts, which never really held my interest.

What’s your favorite thing about the fashion design program?

I think what I enjoy most is the ability to express as much individuality as possible throughout the program. I didn’t think this was possible, but you’ll never see a more diverse plethora of personalities and ideas than when you’re in the Fab Lab during class time. Another thing I really appreciate is  the vast amount of opportunities present throughout, and the ability to take them all on.

What do you think is different about you since you came to the school?

My mindset and attitude towards not just school, but problems in general. Running into a problem head first, and not breaking through it isn’t reason enough to stop, turn around, and walk away. You can’t just stop at a problem, and you can’t avoid it. It isn’t something you can run from, because it’s never gonna go away. I’ve learned to just confront problems head on. And not just that, sometimes you can’t just confront them head on either. You have to go about solving problems in different ways.

What’s the hardest thing about the school?

Maintaining grades. With all these opportunities and five classes, balancing them both can be a little difficult.

How do you overcome/get through your problem with grades?

Primarily by, at least I think, by focusing and putting my all into everything that I do. This can go for not only grades, but also with everything I do in life.

Author and photographer – Amir Ralph’20