Hi! We are the 2017 Fellows at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. We are a group of 12 (not counting our lovely teacher Sarah Sherban) from all through New Haven. We are banded together by our love for all things art, whether it is music, drawing, or even working behind the scenes to make beautiful productions. Our troop met January 18th 2017 and instantly clicked. Our goal is to learn the inner workings of what brings the Festival to life. As a class we broke up into teams to create series of blog posts on some of what we will be working on, including our experiences and impressions fromo field trips and with guest artists.
Check back soon for our next Blog post!
Meet the 2017 Festival Fellows
Sofia Yanza Rivera: A sloth enthusiast who babysits on the weekends.
Sofia Yanza Rivera moved to West Haven from Branford, CT when she was 9. She fell in love with law at an early age due to her sister's interest with crime shows. As she grew older her interest in law faded and she found herself enjoying the arts. Through middle school she was surrounded by the arts ranging from dance and theatre, to visual art and videography. With support from her family she moved into a high school that shoved law down her throat and lost sight of the artistic side in which she once was devoured. In her free time she found herself watching shows like criminal minds and law and order, no longer having the itch to sketch. Not long before finding out about the Fellowship program she found herself getting back into art hardcore. Upon getting accepted into the Arts & Ideas Fellowship program Sofia had now allowed herself to veer back to her old artist ways, finding a sense of clarity with herself and her artwork.
Emily Hausler: Believe you can and you are halfway there.
Emily is a 16-year-old athlete and musician with a passion for all things outdoors. She has competed in races and cross country skiing. Her school has exposed her to the water boot camp that takes place at the Regional Water Authority in New Haven. She has been in several productions over the past couple of years Including: Ragtime, Snoopy, A Christmas Carol, and Beauty and the Beast. She has a passion for working with children and assisting in the day care at First Baptist Church in Branford, where she started as a substitute in 2014 and asked to come on as a full time staff in 2016.
Emily Lucke: Law & Order meets Arts & Ideas.
Emily was born and raised in Ansonia, CT, but spends a majority of her time in the huge city of New Haven for school, volunteering, and other community projects. Passionate for the law, New Haven is full of courthouses, and Emily found her place volunteering as a Youth Attorney at the federal courthouse, and also at Yale and Quinnipiac Universities for an extensive law summer program. Needing a break from all this legal business, Emily was searching for a creative outlet and became a 2017 Arts & Ideas Fellow at Gateway Community College.
Daniel Ramirez: Stoic homosapien; riffin', driftin', always thinkin.'
Dan is a junior at New Haven Academy, who enjoys getting exposure to new subjects. Actively participating in various extra curricular activities to broaden his view on the world we live in, he takes advantage of the opportunities that interest him. He plays bass in the band, Toxic Holiday, is a novice photographer, enjoys YouTube, and is a future professional drifter, video game player, and dank meme enthusiast.
Isabel Adolphe: If it's a good fight, get in it.
Isabel was born in New York in 2000, but later moved to New Haven, CT and is a resident there present day. She majors in choir and music theory at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School while also becoming a technical apprentice for theatre rentals. Passionate about the arts, Isabel recently became a student at Gateway Community College to participate in the Fellowship program which will expand her perception of the impact of arts on society. Isabel is also active in many other programs that spark her interest such as tutoring programs at Saint Martin De Porres and John C. Daniels Schools. In her free time, Isabel enjoys spending time with all of her six siblings by going on adventures outside or creatively collaborating with the arts through painting and drawing. With the combined support from her friends and family, Isabel presents a warm and welcoming atmosphere for every new friend that crosses her way.
Laura Padilla Castellanos: Born in one of the most influential banana exporters. Born allergic to bananas.
Laura moved from Guatemala City to New Haven, Connecticut, in 2014. She is currently a junior a Wilbur Cross High School. Passionate about visual art, she started to attend ACES ECA, an interdisciplinary school of art, where she has created 2D and 3D art. Laura wants to major in Biology and Economics in college, hoping to attend medical school. Her interest in science and art has led her to be part of programs at EVOLUTIONS - a science-based afterschool program given by the faculty of the Peabody Museum - and the Arts & Ideas Fellowship Program. through which she hopes to gain a better grasp of what she will do in the future.
Mariana Robles: They call me marinara so I guess I got the sauce.
Mariana is a high school junior at New Haven Academy. She is a 2017 Arts & Ideas Fellow and proud member of The Future Project. Passionate about learning and trying new things, she loves to get involved in school activities and events whenever the opportunity arises. She loves to read, sing, and rollerblade in her free time. She is so happy and excited to be a part of the Arts & Ideas Fellowship Program and cannot wait for the upcoming festival!
Jay L. Roundtree: Enhancing the Downtown Green to be an healthier place to be.
Jay was born and raised in New Haven. He is currently studying Computer Engineering at Engineering Science University High School. Passionate about a variety of subjects and programs, he’s studying with other high school peers at the Arts & Ideas Fellowship Program at Gateway Community College. He is an athletic mogul with the capability of playing the position of tight end and defensive end on the football field. He also enjoys basketball and weightlifting.
Aliah Segui: Tiny person, big imagination
Born and raised in the city of New Haven, Aliah is a 15-year-old student with a passion for art. She is a sophomore at Wilbur Cross High School and part of the Fellowship Program for the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. She enjoys experiencing new things and learning more about the world. She also enjoys spending time with friends and living life to the fullest. One of the biggest things Aliah loves to do is to draw and express herself through painting. She hopes that this program will benefit her and and that she can benefit those around her.
Lincy Valeta: Daughter, sister, student, musician, fellow
Lincy is a musician, artist, and an active participant in her community. She is passionate about music, and plans on pursuing music as a double major in college. Lincy participates in multiple after school activities such as in the All-City Wind Ensemble, the Morse Choral, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.
Wiralpach Nawabutsitthirat: Stories are merely one way to dive into, and alter, the soul of humanity.
Wiralpach, known better as Mi, is a teenage freelance artist whose main skills lies in illustrations. She is working to become a recognized artist and a published novelist, whose tales may resonate with people both inside and outside her target audience. Born in Thailand in 2000, Mi’s family came to the United States when she was 7 years old and unable to speak a sentence of English. Though merely lured by the deal of obtaining her own 3DS in sixth grade, Mi has worked hard to become a straight-A student. Her interests remain firmly in the vast fields of art and literature, but she also enjoys studying ecology and sociology, especially when they give her a better understanding of humans' and animals' psychology. So although she may not be able to defend her status quo in her junior year, she remains content by applying all that she has learned into the worlds of her novels-- which uses the classic “trapped in another world” trope to explore psychological, and physiological, effects of immigration.
Mi’jae Williamson: Teenage girl, Sister, Daughter, New Haven kid, Class of ‘19, Fellowship student. I do all these things on a daily basis. So yeah, I’m pretty awesome.
Mi’jae Williamson is a 16- year- old girl that is growing up in New Haven. She attends Hillhouse High School and she is in her sophomore year. Mi’jae is a very outspoken girl that has no trouble speaking her mind. She enjoys a lot of things but her favorite subject is art. Abstract art be exact to band enjoys a lot of fun.I am a part of the Fellowship Program. It’s pretty cool all of the time.