From Ron Weasley to business formal, senior Taylor Young has never failed to put the spirit into spirit weeks. What makes him so special? His outfits are always unique and he inspires others to participate in school activities and events.
School spirit has diminished significantly in the last few years. Fewer students have been participating in spirit weeks and showing up to games less and less. Young wants to help reinstate that tradition into this school.
“High school is depressing and I strive to make it a bit easier for everybody by dressing up and reminding students that it’s okay to not always be serious and let loose,” Young said.
“Nobody else really seems to have school spirit anymore, and I want to be a ray of sunshine in the darkness to make people smile or laugh.”
Throughout his high school years, he has put together unique outfits, starting with Ron Weasley for his first official costume.
“I felt happy about it and it inspired me to do it as much as I could. It became a fun little thing for myself to get me through the school days,” Young said.
When it comes to how these outfits are made, he is very thoughtful with what he wears. Depending on what he has, he looks at the prompt and thinks about what would be the best version for the outfit, and then spends about 30 minutes with combinations that are original, creative and complex. One could be inspired by his motivation to participate in school spirit days.
“The life of a student is very important and demanding, so being involved with school spirit helps one escape the stressful situations of everyday life and builds connections in the community.” Young said.
Being nominated and crowned Homecoming King this year, Young feels very proud of his accomplishments in his four years at East. Although he has lots of academic achievements, he owes his biggest accomplishment to making friends. He found it very hard to make friends in his first years here, but as he grew older, he learned the value of self love and building relationships with anyone who crosses his path. He says that dressing up and being himself earned him friendships that have lasted years.
One of those friendships is with Matthew Sung. Young admired Sung’s great work ethic, strong morals, and ability to see different perspectives. And they struck up a friendship that has lasted throughout their years at East.
“He has been someone that I have always looked up to and I truly value his opinion.” Young said.
“He is so good at handling failure and turning it into success. He is considerate and flexible.” Sung said
Young’s biggest role model is his mom, who students may know as Madame Young. “ She has always been
there for me and pushes me to try my best, and signed me up for events that I might have missed otherwise.”
Young plans to study languages in college and create music, and even an album in the near future.
“It is a form of therapy and venting for me, and it helps me express myself in ways that others can understand. I have about 4-5 songs that I want to make an album out of. If I am able to release it, it would be a dream come true for me,” Young said.
As Young moves on from East, he hopes that he made a change for the better for school spirit. He hopes that his school spirit has helped the average student feel included and helps them feel like they belong, and adds incentives and motivations to participate in school activities and school spirit weeks in the future. The spirit that he brings will live on for years to come. “I hope I have inspired others to put some much needed spirit into school,” Young said.
