Sophomore Destiny Jackson walks through the front doors of the building. She wears a Twilight Team Jacob shirt paired with a black and green striped vest. Her black jeans with blue and gold foil printed on the back pockets sit just above her black high-top shoes, pink laces decorated with white, black, and green animal print.
Her eyes, emphasized with neon pink eyeshadow, catch glances from the other students, both questioning and admiring.
“I don’t dress like the typical Kerr student,” she said. “I go to Hot Topic all the time. A lot of times I wear loud makeup and I dress kind of laid-back but really awesome clothes.”
As Jackson walks through the crowded hallway minutes before the bell for advisory rings, she is soon caught by Hall Monitor Tinsley Jones. With a small smile he says, “I like your outfit.” Jackson laughs as she thanks him, continuing her way to meet up with the rest of her friends.
“I mean, a lot of times, people stop me in the hallway just to compliment me on my outfit and sometimes, random [freshmen] stop me in the hallway just to talk to me,” Jackson said. “And when I go into the cafeteria, the [freshmen and sophomores] say ‘I like your outfit.’”
But being atypical can mean more than just bright, neon colors and a desire for boyish grungy clothes. Some students shy away from the typical study-all-night-and-work-all-day norm of Kerr.
“I am a raver,” senior Karen Cueva said.”The entire Spring Break, I partied every night. It was awesome. I procrastinate to party and then I do work. I only work in school, most of the time.”
But of course, despite the hardcore partying nights, Cueva devotes some time to finishing up the rest of her senior classes.
“I work on my online class whenever I’m at my friend’s house, but at home, I just feel like sleeping,” Cueva said.
An characteristic of the typical student is worrying whether or not, they will make high grades on their report card, but when it comes to senior Alex Tjon A Kwie, grades aren’t really the most important thing on his mind.
“Usually, I don’t get stressed out by grades,” he said. “Yeah,they matter, but I’m not doing so well. Usually, I’ll get by one way or another.”
Kwie’s outgoing, carefree personality is what makes him stand out in the crowd.
“I think if you talk to people, they will say [my] personality is what really sticks out about me,” Kwie said. “I’m very very outgoing. If I met you only once or twice through a friend, I will come up to you, talkto you, you know, just try to make you laugh.”
Looking around the hallways and into the centers of Kerr, some students, like Jackson, may stand out of the crowd; others, like Cueva, may seem typical but inside may be distinctly different.
“I look like I blend in, but inside, I don’t,” Cueva said. “I’m happy about being the atypical Kerr student. I’m a boss. It makes me unique.”
