Amelia Ali

Growing up I was surrounded by a large traditional family, even though I was never really alone I was always the loner, I was a lover of escaping. I would drift away into a world of my own where I was free to create. I spent much of my childhood and adolescent years exploring the many facets of art. Through cartoons, colorful books, video games, fashion, music and so on. I was the ultimate observer. The first time my dad handed me a camera and I began taking photos I immediately fell in love. I was in my element.

Throughout my high school years I went with the flow and lived day by day I wasn't very certain of what exactly I wanted to do, there was always a question mark. My grandmother once told me that "if you feel lost, keep going you're on the right track." The only thing I was certain of was that I loved photography and I wanted to do something in that realm. I knew I didn't want to pursue bland fields like accounting or business. Art was my passion. When it came time to choose colleges my senior year of high school, many people told me that I wasn't going to make much money doing just that. It wasn't "realistic." So I went to my high school's counselor and described to her what I enjoyed and she suggested graphic arts. I went home and did my research and came across The New York City College Of Technology. I haven't regretted it since.