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Learning and Development – The GAP is coming

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Learning and Development – The GAP is coming

I can’t speak for everyone, but I will say, there are plenty of us, on both sides of the aisle, who went to bed, thinking one way, and awakened thinking either the same way or not.  We all are going to have to be patient, which in this day and age, is something of a lost art.

Patience has never been my strong suit. I never saw the old way of training with manuals, and F2F ILT as the way it had to be.  I saw as early as 1998, that the future of learning would be e-learning (online learning).  And as the years would pass, keep asking myself why can’t everyone else see this?  Why are people still using paper as a learning tool?  Why are people still big fans of face to face ILT, when the data already out there was showing that e-learning was equal to if not better for comprehension, retention and synthesis to classroom/seminar training/learning?

I spent a few months learning instructional design, when I jumped to the corporate market. Then, I looked around as the years passed, wondering why weren’t others – my contemporaries who did not know instructional design, do the same thing, and learn it?

Why was ATD so out of touch with the industry, especially with online learning and the impact of digital learning technology? Oh, wait, I still think that.

The truth of the matter is that if you look deep into the weeds you too will see what is coming for L&D in 2021.  The trends are all there and where they are pointing is not going to make everyone happy.  Plenty will disagree.

Plenty will point to the same perspectives they had in the past, forgetting that it is called the past for a reason, and secondly, the days of “the way of learning/training via e-learning in the corporate world” is gone.  COVID-19 was the impact that no one saw coming, of course, especially as it relates to learning, training, with online learning.

 The GAP

This will impact and such a rate that those employees/customers/members who fall into the latter category (presented here shortly) will not be on a level learning field as others.

The Gap is tied to two specific parts, both so intertwined, that one cannot achieve success without the other, and vice versa.

  • Digital Transformation – You likely have heard the word, but what does it really mean when it comes to learning/training?  I’ll explain in the next section.
  • E-Learning (Online Learning) –  A clear one that is expanding to new areas, that seemed years away, and no, I am not referring to VR here.  And for the record, the term distance learning does not nor has ever been the same as e-learning.  Two completely different modalities.

One might be asking themselves, how do these two items, lead to a trend called the Gap, and what exactly is the gap as it relates to L&D.

The Gap simply points to a reality, we need to all recognize, that those who either adapt who heartedly digital transformation and e-learning, will be producing better results when it comes to learning/training compared to those who go only with e-learning, ignoring digital transformation, OR embrace some aspects of digital transformation (but not all) and either all or some of e-learning.

One could fully support 100% e-learning, and lightly play with digital transformation – but they will end up on the lower side of the GAP, and by the end of 2021, that GAP will expand to such a level, it will be difficult to catch up.  Sure, you can do this or that, but until you embrace both to an extent it drives your learning or training, you will still be behind.

And of course, those who do neither, will be at the lowest rung.  The downside, is that folks who will see it the most and be impacted the most are their learners themselves.

Take a look at what you are doing now in L&D.  Are you buying into the data that says people want personal and professional development, and that it is a key to retaining them?   Do you buy into the premise and full potential of e-learning to such an extent, that once the majority of folks get a vaccination,  you are not turning back to yesteryear’s method of learning?

Do you see the potential opportunities for allowing your learners to truly drive learning or do you still see e-learning as a method of formal only, in that it is all about assigned learning, compliance and regulatory (for the record LXPs are heavy into formal with assigned learning, and even having L&D clients push compliance too).

If you do not see the potential opportunities, if you do not embrace e-learning as the essential method of learning for your employees, customers, members then you will slide in the GAP.

There are plenty of L&D folks who believe ILT is the best way to learn. They ignore a lot of data out there, but again, that data was from the past. Unless you have a blue-collar workforce or front line workers say in retail, ILT will not be the method of delivery of learning/training content.

And even ILT with front-line workers in retail and other areas, can be delivered via vILT or other methods of e-learning, due to something called a smartphone, which quite a lot of your employees have these days.

That alone will take a big chunk out of your ILT method of learning.

I note this, because in the GAP, a pattern clearly is developing – the embrace of technology.

A mobile device used for learning? Technology.  A desktop computer, laptop, 2 to 1 – technology.  Zoom or another web conferencing solution – SaaS wise – technology.

It isn’t just enough to say, yeah I use those items and therefore I am all about digital transformation.  Digital transformation is

  • Embrace wholeheartedly – Nothing half here, half there
  • Tap into the latest technologies that will drive your learning/training initiatives – If you buy into VR, then go for it, personally, I think we have a way to go with VR, but in digital transformation any type of virtual or artificial such as AR, plays into it.
  • Look for new technologies that can push the level of learning to a whole new level – they are out there, you just have to find them.  Gesture motion exists today.  BMW for example, is using it for their interactive screens in some of their newer vehicles.  It is far better today, gesture motion, that is, than say a year or two ago.   Voice to Text is getting better all the time – true it is not yet 100 percent, but 90% isn’t bad, and there are apps – a form of technology – that are getting there, for more so than you might assume.
  • Your learners for the most part, regardless of age, and already embraced technology. The range of the “gamers” are 35 to 40 year-olds.  Tik Tok once only for teens and sort of an outlier, now is the driver, with adults jumping whole heartedly into using it – short videos, engaging for the most part is it’s strength a method of technology combined with learning to be quite honest, if you truly look at it.

Digital transformation seems like something your CIO or CTO or whoever runs technology at your company or place of business will say to the CEO.  L&D typically okay always sits on the sidelines, and goes with whatever the company pushes out for technology.

The GAP says that will change, because white-collar workers, overwhelmingly will not be returning to office to at least, the end of 2021, and a chunk will never step back into the office.

That is the world of today.  Thus, digital transformation says you understand that, embrace it because it is here and will be throughout 2021 and beyond.  As an L&D leader or Training for that matter, knowing what types of technology your employees, customers, members use at their homes is essential.

L&D always seems to assume.  Which leads into the GAP.

We will end up with two types of L&D and Training Leaders 

The trend lines show clearly there will be a widening of the GAP by the end of 2021.  It is going to be slow and steady, but there will be separation and it will only get worse or expand out (depending on your perspective).

Those on the higher or closer to the GAP,  will push the boundaries of this new age of learning and training, and their learners will see that.   Those in the middle will either move into the higher tier as both areas (digital transformation and e-learning) evolve, OR will drop further down.  Then there are those who will stay forever on the lower rung.

Even if they start to move up, there will be enough of a GAP, that the probability they can reach the higher rung is quite low.

In the end, the GAP will get bigger between the two groups, and I say this, because I see that the “middle” will slowly disappear.

By the end of 2022, the GAP will be substantial.   And that lower rung, will drop farther and farther back.

It won’t be enough to add a learning system with its bells and whistles to get an L&D exec (regardless of their title – but this person runs your L&D department), to gain the upward swing to reduce the GAP, and jump into the upper rung.

Technology is not going to stop, just because you want it to.  Machine Learning is yes, a form of technology, but it itself, iteration plays a huge role, and not everyone is at the same level (as it relates to any e-learning solution that has machine learning in it).

Where will machine learning go? Deep Learning.  It exists today, but will be a driver that so far, not one learning system has truly tapped.  By the end of 2021, some systems and other e-learning solutions will start to leverage it (deep learning is a subset of machine learning).

And deep learning is a technology.

Bottom Line

Whoever is running L&D or Training must decide here and now, not next year, or in two years, where do they want their learning/training for their employees, customers, and members to be.

Are you going to embrace and support and explore technologies that exist today and down the road or are you going to stay the course, add e-learning, still tap into ILT, maybe some paper, or some other old school way.

Are you going to examine the technologies that your learners working from home are use to, or are using, and see how you can leverage that – and utilize in your learning/training or are you going to ignore or do a half-heartedly approach.

Here’s the end game.  The GAP will impact your learners.  Unknowingly they will see the repercussions.  They aren’t going to scream “change” or do this or that, because they won’t know.

Only you will.

E-Learning 24/7 

Coursera Appoints Amanda Clark to Board of Directors

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Coursera Appoints Amanda Clark to Board of Directors

Today, we proudly welcome Amanda Clark, Chief Development Officer of Papa John’s International, as a director on the Coursera board. With 20 years of leading brands and franchisee businesses, Amanda brings a unique blend of consumer-focused innovation and operational experience to the board. Earlier this year, Coursera made two board appointments — Sabrina Simmons and Ted Mitchell. The latest appointment is part of our ongoing commitment to add board members whose insights and expertise will help us serve the needs of a diverse learner base more effectively. 

Amanda joins the Coursera board at a crucial time when the company is focused on helping millions of learners and thousands of institutions worldwide prepare for new economic imperatives.  

“The pandemic is driving enormous growth at Coursera across all products and channels,” said Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera. “Amanda’s years of experience in consumer marketing and franchise operations will help us build a global brand and scale our operations around the world.”

“COVID-19 has accelerated demand for higher education that is more inclusive, job-relevant, and affordable,” said Amanda Clark. “I am excited to join the board of a company that is working closely with the global community of educators to provide everyone, especially underserved communities, an equal opportunity to learn from the best instructors and institutions in the world.”

Before Papa John’s, Amanda held leadership roles at Taco Bell and Procter and Gamble, where she worked on household brands like Olay, Pampers, and Oral-B. She is a proud alumna of Yale University, where she earned a double major in psychology and theater studies.

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Word + Quiz: ribald

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Word + Quiz: ribald

adjective: humorously vulgar

noun: a ribald person; someone who uses vulgar and offensive language

_________

The word ribald has appeared in 32 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 16 in “36 Hours in Buenos Aires” by Nell McShane Wulfhart:

Argentines love their soccer teams more than they love steak and complaining about the economy. Passions run so high that no alcohol is allowed at matches, and opposing team fans are banned from all regular league games in the city. But pounding drums, ribald chants, heartfelt songs and waving banners are part and parcel of every face-off between local teams like River Plate and Boca Juniors, and the games are always exciting …

_________

Word + Quiz: ineluctable

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Word + Quiz: ineluctable

: impossible to avoid or evade

_________

The word ineluctable has appeared in 13 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Aug. 14 in “Birds and Horses and Eels, Oh My! New Books About Animals” by Ben Goldfarb in the section on “Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love With an Animal” by Sarah Maslin Nir:

Horses are as familiar as eels are alien. Yet our equine companions harbor their own mystery: What explains humankind’s millenniums-old attraction to them? There’s the “ineluctable tug of their big amber eyes,” Nir writes, and “the shattering wildness of their gallop.” Ultimately, though, their allure is ineffable, driving Nir to a tautological conclusion: “Because horses. Answer enough.”

_________

‘Doomscrolling’

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‘Doomscrolling’

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

Are you familiar with the term “doomscrolling”? Here’s how The Times defines it:

This experience of sinking into emotional quicksand while bingeing on doom-and-gloom news is so common that there’s now internet lingo for it: “doomscrolling.” Exacerbating this behavior, shelter-in-place orders leave us with little to do other than to look at our screens; by some measures, our screen time has jumped at least 50 percent.

Do you doomscroll? If so, how does it affect you? What has worked for you to break the habit?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article for more suggestions.

About Picture Prompts

• Find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
• Have an idea for a Picture Prompt? Tell us about it.
• Teachers, discover more ways to teach with our Picture Prompts and learn how to use our free daily writing prompts for remote learning.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

How Much Do You Know About Togo?

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How Much Do You Know About Togo?

Can you find Togo on a map? What else do you know about this African country with about 8 million people.

Lesson of the Day: ‘Lil Buck Feels the Dancing Spirit All Over Again’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘Lil Buck Feels the Dancing Spirit All Over Again’

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

Featured Article: “Lil Buck Feels the Dancing Spirit All Over Again,” by Gia Kourlas

In this lesson, you will first watch “Nobody Knows,” a short film in which Lil Buck, the “willowy dancer who spins on the toes of his sneakers as if they were point shoes,” explores his struggles as a Black man and his relationship to dance.

Next you’ll read how a Times critic describes the dance and what it expresses, and identify moments in the piece that, for you, exhibit those qualities. Finally, you’ll consider Lil Buck’s argument that street dance is fine art, and investigate jookin or other forms of street dance to make a case for their artistry and rigor — and their ability to bring about change in the world.

Have you ever heard of the dancer Lil Buck, or of Memphis jookin, the style he has helped popularize? Watch the video above, the latest from this artist.

Afterward, react in writing or in discussion with others, answering questions like these:

  • What is your reaction?

  • What moments stood out for you?

  • What do you admire about this film in general? About Lil Buck’s performance in particular?

  • If you had to describe the dance in this piece in one sentence, what would you write?

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. What childhood moment does “Nobody Knows” echo for this artist?

2. “There is struggle and pain, joy and healing, and ultimately, a transformation. And throughout, the Black Lives Matter movement informs his dancing, too — a root connecting the past to the present,” writes this critic. Where in the dance do you see each of those things?

3. What is the name of this style of dance, and where did it originate? Do you agree with Lil Buck that street dance is fine art and no less rigorous than classical ballet? If you had to defend that statement with just the work in this video, what details or moments would you point to?

4. What was Lil Buck’s childhood like? What happened when he discovered dance?

5. According to this critic, “Buck’s power derives from the ability to get to the bottom of what something feels like for him and then to express it to the world.” Do you agree, based on this work? What other artists — in any medium — do you think do that well?

6. Do you agree with Lil Buck that “dance can really be used as a tool to help bring change about the world”? If so, how? What other dance performances have you seen that you think might have this power?

Option 1: Learn more about Lil Buck and jookin.

You might start with Lil Buck’s YouTube channel or the Netflix series “Move,” referenced in this article. But you can also learn more about the artist via past coverage in The Times, first through this exploration of one of his most famous pieces, shown above, then via a video of his collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma in Beijing in 2011, and, finally, with this 2014 piece in which he tells you what he’s reading, watching, listening to, following, wearing and eating.

Then, learn more about jookin and how it grew up from the streets and clubs of Memphis. How did it begin? How has it evolved? What are the steps and moves that characterize it? Can you learn any of the footwork yourself?

Option 2: Investigate another form of street dance as fine art.

If you agree with Lil Buck that street dance is fine art and no less rigorous than classical ballet, choose another form of street dance to research and use it to make your argument.

Though it’s hard to see dance live right now, you can watch the style you choose online, and try to describe its artistry the way the critic does in the article you just read. What characterizes the style? What is its history, and how did it grow out of a particular place and time? How has it evolved? Who are its best known practitioners? What is rigorous about it? What do you think this style adds to the language and culture of dance in general? Do you think this particular style has been or is a “tool to bring about change”? How?

Finally, if you would like to, you might choose one particular dance, observe it closely and write a review of it for our coming Student Review Contest, which will run from Dec. 8, 2020, to Jan. 26, 2021.

About Lesson of the Day

• Find all our Lessons of the Day in this column.
• Teachers, watch our on-demand webinar to learn how to use this feature in your classroom.

Why current students chose to complete their bachelor’s degree with UNT

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Why current students chose to complete their bachelor’s degree with UNT

Students choose to complete their Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (B.A.A.S.) degree with the University of North Texas (UNT) for many reasons. Some students choose UNT because the B.A.A.S degree accepts and builds on their unique credits. Many students choose the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences because of its job-relevant coursework in its eight distinct concentrations. Other students choose the B.A.A.S. because the degree program provides high-touch support and career services to them from the applicant stage all the way to being an enrolled student.

The B.A.A.S. program is designed to streamline student’s path to a fully accredited bachelor’s degree. Here is why three current students chose to complete their bachelor’s degree through the fully online B.A.A.S. program:

Erin Fein chose the B.A.A.S. because it allows her to balance her education with her full-time job.

“I am a long time working musician who has relied on the service industry to make ends meet. Just before these unsteady times, I decided to try and change my life and started looking into the reality of finishing my bachelor’s degree. I knew that going back to school in person would never work with my life. I didn’t know how I would be able to balance school with having to work full-time and I couldn’t imagine how I could afford all of this on my own. This is when I discovered the University of North Texas’ bachelor’s completion program. I am so excited to complete this chapter in my life and to do it in a way that will work for me. To any adult out there looking to change their life, this program could be the pathway for you!”

Ana Said chose the B.A.A.S. because her college credits easily transfer and because the degree’s concentrations align with her future career goals.

“When I first learned about UNT’s Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences online program, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to further my education while still balancing work and every-day life. My previous college credits transfer and I have the opportunity to enroll in concentrations that seem interesting and complementary to the field I am currently working in. From the initial request for information through the application process, UNT’s counselors promptly and kindly provided the guidance and encouragement I needed to build a path toward attaining a bachelor’s degree. The flexibility that the Coursera platform offers will allow me to maintain a healthy schedule and stay organized. I am thrilled to be on my way to a bachelor’s degree, and to be part of the Mean Green team!”

Steven Schmidt chose the B.A.A.S. because its online, flexible format fits easily into his busy life.

“I am choosing to take the B.A.A.S. through Coursera so that I can have the freedom to complete my schoolwork when my work schedule allows. I wanted to further my education but I am just unable to meet in person at a set time with how the world is right now.  With the way things are changing daily in this time my schedule is also changing daily so I need to have the ability to complete my work when time allows. When they announced the completely online B.A.A.S. I was super excited for this opportunity.”

The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (B.A.A.S.) degree from the University of North Texas (UNT) is the fastest, most affordable way to complete your bachelor’s degree online from a top 9 research school in Texas while leveraging your previous college or military credits.

 

Technical portfolio guide: What to include in your portfolio

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Technical portfolio guide: What to include in your portfolio

This article was written by our friends at Career Karma.

Your technical portfolio is a key element in your search for a job as an engineer or developer. It’s an opportunity to showcase your skills through the projects you’ve worked on and shows prospective employers just what you’re capable of.

Whether you’re looking for a job in front-end or back-end development, or creating a full-stack developer technical portfolio, your portfolio should illustrate your interests and best abilities. It should be easy to read and navigate, and provide access to your launched projects. It should also allow a viewer to get familiar with your background and experience, including your tech stack.

In this article, we’ll dive into the essential ingredients for a good developer’s technical portfolio, including whether to use a template or build your portfolio from scratch, what to include in your bio, what types of projects to include, and more.

Building your portfolio website

Template vs. from scratch: How to decide

There are several portfolio templates you can choose from online, but you can build one from scratch to show off your technical skills like JavaScript, Python, Ruby and other languages. Your decision is based on the time you have and the effort you are willing to put into your portfolio. However, building your own portfolio does give you a chance to gain real world practice and showcase your skills.

If you do choose to go with a template, HTML5 UP and Templated are great sites to obtain portfolio templates. You can download the code and edit or refactor it to suit you, your identity, and achievements. Note that if you are using one of these templates, you may have to give credit to the site and the creator in the footer of the portfolio.

The difference between template sites like HTML5 UP, versus other sites for pre-made portfolios, is that it is code based and not a drag and drop platform. You still have to use and edit code, which as a developer, is a good thing. Never use a drag and drop site for a technical portfolio, it is counterproductive and could hamper your chance of success.

Your domain name

Once you have polished the portfolio for how you’d like it to look for future employers, find and purchase a domain name. Your domain name should be the name you use on your resume, followed by a .dev, .me, or .com extension.

Some important links to include in your portfolio are appropriate social media accounts, such as LinkedIn and Twitter. Twitter has a large developer community so it is a great platform to build a network and stay up to date with industry happenings. It should be used as a tool for positive growth, so post mindfully and intentionally — your future employer is watching.

Other links include your github, which should display the projects you are proud of, and your resume. You can link a PDF version of it in your portfolio. Finally, a link to your email for a recruiter or hiring manager to contact you.

Include a sticky navigation bar on your site where a viewer can easily navigate to your “About,” “Projects,” “Other Contributions,” and “Contact” sections. A sticky navbar sticks to the top of the page across all links, no matter how far you scroll down the page.

Your bio: What to include

Your short biography should be in the “About” section of the portfolio. It should illustrate your past, present, and future aspirations. Tell a story about how you got into tech, what you are working on now, and what roles you are trying to land, in a positive light. Write about your current tech stack, and what technologies you are learning.

Projects: What to showcase

There several projects you want to showcase in your portfolio, including open source, individual, group, clone, and vertical.

Open Source

There is a wealth of open source contributing opportunities you can find online. You can contribute to anything from Firefox to npm, or join a hackathon to pick a lesser known project of your choosing.

Individual

Whether you are into gaming or climate tech, your individual project can be something that illustrates your personality or interests.

Group

If you were fortunate enough to have worked in a cross-functional team with a successfully launched project, this project needs to be in your portfolio. Developing is very much a group effort, and employers are going to want to see that you have experience working on a project with different developers. If there was a stakeholder or client for this project, even better.

Product Clone

If you have a particular company in mind you would love to work for, clone their site! This is a super impressive way to get the hiring manager’s attention.

Vertical

There are many vertices in software engineering, from testing to accessibility. If there is something that interests you, or that you excel at, build a project out of this skill. Verticals are also a good pairing to general software engineering roles for startups where employees need to wear multiple hats.

Project Descriptions

Below the link to your launched project, there should be a description explaining what the project is about. This can be two to three bullet points. The tech stack used on the project should be the first, followed by the product description. What problem does the product solve or what does this project do? You should also name two features you solely contributed to the project. Focus on “I” statements rather than “we.” The company isn’t looking to hire the team, they are looking to hire you. There should also be a github repo link to all the projects in your portfolio.

You can find other ideas on specific language projects on the Career Karma site for:

Other contributions

There are many other contributions you can share that will make you stand out. Technical writing is a highly in-demand skill, and you can show off your technical writing skills in other places other than in the Readmes or API docs. Medium and Dev.to are great places to contribute what you’ve learned or what you’d like to teach.

Other things to include in the “Other Contributions” section of your programming portfolio are package creations you may have created or video tutorials you may have done.

If you’re just getting started on your journey to becoming a web developer, Codecademy’s Career Paths can help get you there. Career Paths include a variety of Portfolio Projects that you can build and use in your job search. Find out more and start your journey here.

Kelly M. is a writer at Career Karma where she focuses on coding tutorials and technical articles.

What Students Are Saying About Embarrassing Parents, Personal Style and Social Media Perceptions

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What Students Are Saying About Embarrassing Parents, Personal Style and Social Media Perceptions

I definitely incorporate my cultural and religious identity in my style, being a Muslim girl, I choose to dress modestly but that doesn’t mean it takes the fun out of styling or wearing clothes, yes, it can be pretty hard to style clothes modestly in summers but lets just winters is my happy place just because of that reason. When it comes to incorporating culture-that’s when I get uncomfortable- lets just say, it’s pretty tough. Obviously as a teenager I try my best to be myself but that calling for “fitting in” just doesn’t help. But this year, during quarantine I’ve learned to appreciate my Pakistani culture and actually started to not care for anything and made my cultural clothes a part of my “unique style.”

— Nawera Salman, Glenbard west high school

I don’t really have a particular style; except for my socks. Over the past five or six years, I have been steadily Increasing my Crazy Sock Collection. They can be anything from Captain America, Kool-Aid, Bob Ross, and Bees. I like to wear my socks because they’re something that makes me stand out. I’ve been made fun of for wearing my socks, and even got in trouble one time in football for accidentally wearing the other team’s color. But throughout the period I have worn them I have slowly become known as “the guy with cool socks”, and like that mantra. My socks give my apparel a little splash of inanity, and an insight into my personality

— Brady Jacobs, Lubbock, Texas

People often misperceive me to have an “unapproachable” or “angsty” attitude because of my style choices. Though my style consists of ripped jeans,old band t-shirts, and roughed-up black vans, my personality is quite the opposite of this “angsty” appearance, for I believe myself to be a friendly and loving person. My whole life I have always been the kind of person to sit next to the kid sitting by themselves at lunch and always welcoming and warm to anyone I meet, which greatly contrasts to my dark and grungy wardrobe. However, people in today’s world have the automatic response to analyze and characterize a person based off of looks and style choices; I wish for the people who assume my character by a single glance to know that I am a friendly person willing to have a friendly conversation with, not an unapproachable judgy teenager.

— Riley Higgins, Maury High School, Norfolk, VA

To a lot of people fashion is a waste of time, and though I understand that I have to disagree. Clothing can help express so much, it can tell people how you’re feeling or the type of energy you give out, it’s also a huge part of many peoples culture. Clothing helped me so much because it gave me confidence, as a teenage girl it’s something I’ve always struggled with, but if I take the time to put together a look I know I will feel good in I feel a total shift in my day, it gives me motivation to do good things and to leave my house. Fashion is something that allows people to express so much, in other words, people speak through their clothing, if I’m having a bad day there’s a good chance you’ll find me in sweats, but if I show up in jeans there’s a good chance I’m prepared to conquer the world that day.

— Anna Davenport, Glenbard West HS

My choices of what I choose to wear, as far as my clothes, shoes, accessories, and makeup all revolve around how I see myself as a person. I see myself as an empowering, strong, independent young woman who is ready to change the world. I think about my looks and what I wear constantly. My clothes such as my shirts and pants are always bold, but not too bold; I want to be noticed but not in the wrong way. My shoes are mostly closed-toed, because I am always on the go, I need to be able to move fast. With my makeup, I strive for a natural look. I am always on my toes, I want to be able to look presentable at all times no matter who is watching me. My clothing is a symbol of what I aspire to be one day. My style is very important to me, it sets the tone for what I want my day to be off, and hopefully my life. My style is everything to me, if I don’t have my style, I don’t have my identity.

— D’Leah Hill, Lubbock,Tx

People judge other people based on their style ALL the time. I almost always find myself comparing the way I dress to the way other people dress, and caring what people think of me. I try to remind myself to be confident, but in our society today, it is so hard. This is why I experiment with new styles, trying to find something I like. I normally just pick out something I feel comfortable in, like hoodies, but sometimes I’ll do something I haven’t done before. What matters to me is that I still feel like myself after trying a new style. I suppose this does say something about my identity, even though I am still trying to figure it out like many other people.

— Anna C., Columbia, South Carolina

When I wake up every morning, It takes me a great deal of time to choose what to wear. It’s the fact that my mind can’t decide what is appropriate for the environment I am going to be in and how I may be judged by others. Whether this specific brand or type of clothing is out of style or its just not “cool” enough, my thoughts race through every possible outcome of wearing just one article of clothing. Just one. This phase took away from my self confidence. I felt the need to conform to the trends of society in order to be accepted and feel included. My style wasn’t mine, it was the style created that I needed to abide by that made me think I looked like the best version of myself. Was it the best version of myself? Today after looking back I would say no because I have learned that what I wear expresses my character and I can make a strong statement about who I am and what I believe in through an article of clothing or accessories. I don’t feel the need to dress nice everytime I walk out of the house.

— Krithika Santhanam, Farmington, CT

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