By: Adriana Petrillo
Behind the Scenes with Tatum Perry
Balancing a social life on top of school and extracurricular activities can be challenging, and it is for most students. For Tatum Perry, a 17 year old senior at Oliver Ames High School, growing up in a small, undiverse town has both positively and negatively impacted her life and future. With the support of her family and close friends, she has been able to form high expectations for herself and achieve anything she puts her mind to.
¨Growing up feeling like I did not belong definitely affected my view of myself, but I was able to push through and become my own person.¨ Tatum adds ¨knowing that I was different from other kids was hard, but it allowed me to become overly passionate, creative, and ambitious in my own unique way. I learned that I lean more towards the artistic side of things, which enabled me to figure out what my strengths were earlier in life.¨
Tatum pauses as she takes a sip of her Panera green tea. She gets comfortable by adjusting her posture. For most people, it can be overwhelming to handle school on top of college applications, clubs, and sports. Instead of giving up and disregarding progress that has been made, Tatum relates every situation back to one specific event. It may seem pretty basic to most people, but it has a deeper meaning to her.
¨I always come back to the example of when I passed my drivers test because I felt so accomplished since I failed the first time, and I really did not think I was going to pass the second time.¨ Tatum exclaims ¨that moment in my life helped me realize that I can do anything I set my mind to, and even if I do fail, I can always try again.”
Tatum has not always had this mindset. Growing up, she was always hard on herself, especially growing up in a mostly white small town. In order to become who she ultimately is today, Tatum needed some guidance from her family. As Tatum mentions her grandparents and her sister, her face lights up with a contagious smile. For the first few years of her life, she spent a lot of time with her grandparents and sister because her parents were always working, which is something she admires.
“My family has greatly influenced my personality, and my relationship with my sister has shaped me into who I am today. Even though it was hard not having my parents around when I was little, I was lucky enough to be partially raised by my loving and creative Cuban grandparents who taught me most of what I know today, but one thing I definitely gained from my parents was the importance of working hard.¨
Tatum has been able to become successful because of the morals and values she has been taught. She has joined a range of clubs in order to become more involved with the community. As she gets ready to list the clubs that she is a part of, she begins to bounce her leg under the table. Despite looking good on college applications, Tatum feels that school clubs give her a good sense of leadership, which will prepare her for the future.
¨I am the president of the art and media club, which are both very important to me because I put a lot of time and effort into my digital and physical pieces. On top of the internship I am completing with RMK, I am also a part of NHS, ADL peer leaders, student council, and club united. These clubs and organizations have allowed me to have a choice in decision making and I have become more involved in giving back to the community while maintaining my social life at the same time.¨
Unlike other teenagers her age, Tatum does not have a job because she is focusing more on schoolwork, college, and what she wants to do in the future. Tatum sighs as she remembers all of the work she has to complete. Most people would feel burnt out and overwhelmed if they had as many responsibilities, but Tatum has been able to keep up adequate organization and time management skills.
¨I definitely did not plan on doing so many after school activities, but I was asked by my teachers and friends to join. Obviously I feel overwhelmed at some points and my sleep schedule is messed up, but if you really want something, you have to put in the effort. I try to not push myself too hard and I keep myself in line without worrying about what other people around me are doing.¨
Overall, Tatum is ready to take the next step forward in her life and meet new people in a new environment, but she has not fully processed that she will be leaving her family. In terms of colleges, she is unaware of which college she wants to attend, so she applied to several so that she would have a variety of options. Additionally, she is nervous about picking a career even though she knows she wants to go into film making because she knows that one decision may change her entire future.
¨Since I love art and writing, I thought that film making would be the perfect career for me because it is a combination of the two things I am most interested in. It is hit or miss because you can either be very successful or you can be limited and unsuccessful. Filmmaking is persuasive and can be very moving, which is why I watch a lot of movies and create my own films in my free time. I am just ready to move forward and see what the next chapter holds.¨