My name is Sophia Pinney; I am fifteen years old, a born and bred New Yorker, with coffee running through my veins instead of blood, smog in my lungs instead of air, and scaffolding under my skin instead of bones. This city raised me. I grew up with Central Park as my back yard, the Natural History Museum as my living room, and 24 hour diners as my kitchen. Raising a child in New York City is the greatest gift you can give them, because from the time they start going to school they’ve seen more humanity on their morning commutes than a lot of people do in their entire lives. This city has taught me so much, and it’s given me so many opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. And when I talk about my future, all my friends say how much they want to leave the city, but I think why would I? I am where so many people spend years building up to moving, I’m already in one of the fashion capitals of the world. Why would I waste precious years being somewhere else?

I have taken two classes at FIT, including the one I am currently enrolled in. Until I began at FIT I had no idea that I shared my world view with so many other people. I had no idea that there were so many other girls and boys in this city aiming for the same goal as me. This goal to be accepted into the fashion world, maybe not receive our first choice career but just to simply be accepted, let in to the exclusivity of it all. People in the fashion world see things so differently than everyone else. They see so much beauty, create garments out of thin air, and capture a singular moment, a feeling in something still and silent. Fashion makes art accessible to those who simply want to receive it. However to those of us like myself who find ourselves trying to work in the fashion industry, it can seem extremely inaccessible, like there is a glass wall between you and the life that you want, because you can only witness it through pictures and videos.

This year and last year I have been lucky enough to attend fashion shows. And while my goal is to be the one behind the curtain, it was nice to be surrounded by people of the same mindset as me. It was nice to pretend to be an adult for a little while, to pretend like I belonged, even though I know that I do. Growing up in New York City you would think that I would have been exposed to so much more of the fashion industry than I have been. And while it may still be more than a kid growing up in Middle America, I find that most of the city I see is dirty and dingy. Especially during the winter it is hard to find beauty when everything is whitewashed in grey. For now I put my head down, and wait for the colors to return to my city, wait for the spectacular glow of summer nights in the West Village, and for the smell of melting garbage and flowers to mix into a perfect bouquet.

Sophia