"I’ll do anything in the creative field to keep growing. Dragon School gives me the chance to do exactly that. It’s teaching people to be open-minded and reach into our creative sides, while turning something like graffiti, which often has a lot of stigma attached to it, into art that we can all see and share."
Winnie H. is an Oakland native, a freshman at Oakland High and an all-star youth artist and creator. Check out the story of how she got involved with Dragon School, and what community, art, and Oakland mean to her.
When my brother came home from college one summer, he brought back a camera with him. He said he wanted to take pictures of murals, so I joined and became his tour guide. We spent hours many days that summer exploring and taking photos of murals throughout Oakland. Along the way, I realized that more than half of them done were by Dragon School! I thought to myself at the time, I wish I were a part of this, but I didn’t actually think it would be possible. Later that day, I visited Dragon School’s website and wrote an email asking how I might be able to participate. It turns out, that month, they were hosting a community mural project. I showed up and loved my experience tracing, drawing, and filling the wall with bold colors and beautiful art. Since then, I’ve continued attending one event after the next.
Being part of Dragon School has been fun and eye-opening. I’ve never gotten an opportunity like this before, so I definitely want to grasp onto it. I’ve met some amazing people both on Dragon School’s team as well as other kids who are involved. As someone who has been dancing since I was four (I breakdance and do Chinese dance) and who also enjoys drawing, photography, and videography, I feel that any art form helps you become more creative and to improve as an artist.
I’ll do anything in the creative field to keep growing. Dragon School gives me the chance to do exactly that. It’s teaching people to be open-minded and reach into our creative sides, while turning something like graffiti, which often has a lot of stigma attached to it, into art that we can all see and share.
Dragon School has given me community, too. And for me, community is like family. It’s about having a group of people who support you, who you fit in with, where you belong. Often you share the same beliefs and feel like what they do, you should do too. My advice for newcomers to Oakland is not to be afraid or intimidated. We often get the reputation of being “ghetto” or “ratchet” -- but Oakland has lots to offer with people from so many diverse cultures and identities. We all fit in, we all belong, and we welcome everyone.
This summer, Winnie hopes to make her summer as meaningful as possible by studying abroad. She is currently raising funds to attend the Chinese American Student Educational Exchange Program. Read more and support her dream of visiting China.