Theme: Human Simplexity

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Allendale Columbia School
519 Allens Creek Road
Rochester, New York, 14618
United States

Cocoa Rae David

Photographer

I created a photo series during my last year of college in Charleston, SC. Pigment Series is a phototherapy collection of over 50 people photographed in a span of 12 months. Subjects posed semi-nude and listened to music of choice to create an atmosphere where they could bring their most authentic selves. The objective was to hold space for my artistic subjects to have a creative release from their insecurities while simultaneously allowing them to have an internal dialogue with themselves about self-acceptance. The Pigment Series relates to Human Simplexity because it expounds on the personal experiences of people from different races and backgrounds, their challenges being vulnerable, and how they navigate their identities living under systems of oppression.

Daphne Pariser

President and Founder of Humans for Education

As a 10-year-old I had the opportunity to visit Kenya on safari, but when I arrived I was shocked by the lack of available medical care and the normalcy of poverty that was all too familiar for these people. Privately, our tour guide would explain the shortfalls of the Kenyan government and expressed the importance of a good education. He showed me that my citizenship gives me a unique opportunity to have an effect on my own government and positively affect those outside of our borders. I believe that this influence and power to effect change lies within us and we have the freedom and ability to decide how we will use it.

Erin Kim

Student + Dancer

Erin as a student at Allendale Columbia School and dances at ROCDance, in Rochester, NY. As a dance studio, we would be performing two performances based on the theme, "Human Simplexity" . The first performance is a trio about day to day dilemmas that we, human; people, go through. Situations irrupt whether we like it or not. A dilemma that we will be showing is a story behind three sisters getting into an argument, fighting one another, in which all will come to a resolution. Now, just because we may be acting as three sisters, this dance also represents problems that may occur in work places, families, worldwide, etc. The second performance is a contemporary group performance about being blinded by situations in life; it's sometimes difficult to see the truth until you are no longer involved or by overcoming it.

Maria Engels

Higher Ed Coordinator at the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence

Maria grew up in Rochester, New York and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Clark University. After working in college admissions for two years, Maria returned to Rochester in September of 2015 and began volunteering at the Gandhi Institute, after attending a Nonviolence Intensive. Eventually she transitioned to full-time employment. Her first two years were spent at Monroe High School, engaging 7th-9th grade students in Restorative Practices. Currently, Maria oversees the Gandhi Service Fellowship Program for the 2018-2019 academic school year, in addition to leading various workshops and assisting with grant-writing. Maria is interested in exploring self-awareness and how it connects to nonviolence, reading, leadership awareness, traveling, working out, and coffee!

Raymond Feng

Pianist + Musician + Student

We interact with music every day, listening to it, playing it, creating it. However, music doesn't stop there, and we often aren't aware of the several dimensions of music beyond its foundation, the concept of organized sound. I first ventured into music as a four-year-old child, and since then, all of the experiences I had the chance to partake in revealed to me how music connects to different aspects of the human experience. We can gain the most from music when we fully appreciate it not only in itself but also for its broader implications in community and society.

Saadiq Muhammad

Boxer + Trainer

A Phoenix From the Ashes: Rising Up Through Adversity