SAP in Spotlight: Makaila Keith

Hey, I’m Makaila, I’m 15 and I’m going into 10th grade. I’ve been at BYA since February 2019 and am now in the summer program here. My team is REpresent Baltimore with Warren and we focus on media art, meaning art through photography, videography, and social media. Warren is a really fun instructor, but we still get a ton of stuff done. We’ve been busy working on our big REpresent Baltimore video project in which we are interviewing people around the city who are doing great work. With this video, we hope to make a better representation of Baltimore in which people focus on the good that exists in this city. This project is important to me because Baltimore is my city and I don’t like it when people put it down, especially if they don’t know the city or the amazing people who call it home. I think this project and doing it together has made our team much closer and has helped us create a bond that pushes us to grow together.

My favorite thing about being a studio apprentice at BYA is how welcoming and open-minded the people here are. For example, when we went to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), we were allowed to walk around at our own pace and explore. I feel like that respected people and allowed them to feel what they needed to.

I still have a few years left in high school and I want to spend them doing a few things. First, I want to continue working at BYA throughout the year. Second, I want to work on being more self-aware. I think it is important to realize and be mindful of the fact that not everybody was raised the same as me - not everyone had the same education and opportunities as me. Third, I want to paint more because I feel like there is a lot of freedom in visual arts. A lot of my art is inspired by my mood in the moment and helps me express myself.

After high school I hope to go to college for interior design. When I think about the impression I want to leave on people, I want them to remember my thoughts, my opinions, and my strength as a human being.