On any given day, Claire Chen (12) could be spotted wearing a neutral-colored knit, baggy pants and leather jacket paired with a messenger bag and black leather boots. Or a babydoll dress with cream and sage green flannel print accents with leg warmers. Or a fully monochromatic look featuring brown overalls. Regardless of the season, Claire’s outfits always subtly showcase her individuality. 

Since middle school, Claire has been exploring in-trend style niches, beginning with an emo phase. Eventually, she shifted to finding clothes that suited her personality and maximized comfortability, before settling on the earth-toned color palette she now prefers. 

“In middle school I had an embarrassing phase, but it was important [because I went] from skinny ripped jeans in eighth grade to freshman year when I discovered baggy jeans, which changed my life,” Claire said. “I was no longer so insecure about some of my features. Finding a style that you’re confident in and makes you go ‘Wow, I look so good’ is really important.”

One A-line dress stands out as her favorite outfit from the ones that she curated over the years. Featuring delicately puffed sleeves bound by ruching and almost invisible velvet-like floral details raining down upon the silk fabric, the dress fulfilled Claire’s Cinderella dreams, especially when paired with a silver pearl necklace and matching bracelet. 

Through observing people at concerts with similar styles as her and taking inspiration from musical artists she admires, Claire builds upon her personal style, where she strives to emulate an “effortlessly cool” persona. 

“I love Beaebadoobe’s style, but I also do want to move towards Stevie Nicks’s,” Claire said. It’s all over the place, but it’s about making fashion your own.”

Exploring fashion, art and music led Claire to sustained friendships where her interests coincided with others. 

“When somebody goes, ‘I love your necklace. Where’d you get it from?’ you immediately start talking,” Claire said. “I also accessorize with friendship bracelets or other jewelry my friends have made. Usually it’s things that remind me of happy moments that I can just look at.” 

Close friend Nina Franz (12) appreciates the mellow aura around Claire that quiets the stress in their life. From late night bowling to talking in a car, they cherish the simplicity of every moment with Claire.  

“I remember sitting around sipping our little chrysanthemum tea juice boxes and laughing for hours,” Nina said. “Being around Claire feels so natural. Life doesn’t need to be so complicated; it can just be simple and beautiful. She makes people feel very safe and seen, and her energy makes people feel very comfortable around her.”

Drawing from the nostalgic feeling of her last year in high school, Claire set her senior soundtrack to songs from earlier time periods like the ’90s, as well as childhood favorite films such as Studio Ghibli. Elements appealing to both visual and auditory senses drive her artistry and artmaking process.

“Music, movies and books, any types of media that you come across and see and are inspired by — I wanted to create art like that and inspire other people too,” Claire said. “Finding the time to do it is a challenge, but how much time you put in your art is really reflected in the final piece.”

After taking art lessons at a young age, Claire specialized in color pencils and oil pastels, although she hopes to continue diversifying the mediums she works with. The ease and pace of oil pastels allow for exploration of art movements as well, such as impressionism and surrealism.

“I don’t have to spend that much time on the strokes because it’s a lot faster when I can take fast impressionist strokes,” Claire said. “The texture and the way the oil pastels glide on the paper smoothly is so satisfying. It’s just a lot looser to work with, and I don’t have to worry so much about blending. It’s really freeing to work with.”

As much as the raw mediums influence her artistic style, Claire also admires the works of Yoshitomo Nara and Zdzislaw Beksinski, noting the character portrayed by Nara’s “angsty children” and the “nightmarish, dark dystopian” pieces of Beksinski. Those inspirations translated to her own artwork, which are also informed by her own views of the world.

“One surrealist piece I worked on was a self portrait of a girl taking out her eye, and it’s a more extreme version of taking out your contacts,” Claire said. “It’s about wishing you could change your beauty features really easily, and that’s something a lot of people have to go through while growing up. I like pieces that make you wince when you see them.”

Upper school English department chair Dr. Pauline Paskali witnessed the growth of Claire’s abilities over the course of her class and noted the continuation of her interest in deeper, provocative media. 

“She’s come into her own, and she’s been flourishing,” Dr. Paskali said. “She had her voice before, but she found a writerly voice over the course of last year. Her voice in the world was heard, so we no longer had to be so curious about what she was thinking. Claire also found connections with these intense books in class and even created a wonderfully dark illustration for a project.” 

Outside of exploring fashion and art, Claire also spent much of her youth perfecting her swing in golf, even if the game proved challenging at times. Amidst the pressure of a round, she cherishes little breaks between each hole, taking time to soak in the clear blue sky.

“A lot of golf is mental, especially balancing your mental and physical game,” Claire said. “When you physically get tired, your mental game also tires and you lose focus near the end. Making sure I focus and take one shot at a time is key to not getting ahead of myself. It’s definitely hard to not get burnout in golf, so I try to go with the flow.”

By understanding when to have kindness for herself, Claire empathizes with the people around her as well. Her mentality reflects upon close friend Linette Hoffman (12).

“Somehow she always knows how I’m feeling and what I’m going through and how to navigate that,” Linette said. “She just makes everything make sense. She is extremely caring, and is remarkably aware of people’s boundaries and how to connect with them in the way they are most comfortable.” 

The self-awareness that guides her also allows Claire to navigate the world of golf with grace. 

“Golf is a controversial sport with stereotypes attached to it,” Claire said. “Growing up, I was always embarrassed to say I [play] golf because of that. Being an Asian girl in the sport is my way of trying to change the game and inspiring other people to hopefully get into golf. It’s interesting when I have to play with others and I can hit further than any of them, and that’s when they start thinking that I’m somebody worthy to be their competition.”