CLASS OF 2020: Featuring Olivia Bresee. Creative! Committed! Courageous!
Olivia pictured above. Photo courtesy of Olivia Bresee.
Student Interviews on the Impact of the Arts
The Burbank Arts for All Foundation is proud to highlight students in the CLASS OF 2020 who have been part of the robust arts community in Burbank Unified School District classrooms. We hope you enjoy reading about their experiences and getting to know them as we celebrate an important milestone in their lives: high school graduation.
Today, we present to you Olivia Bresee, who was part of the visual arts programs at the Jordan Middle School and John Burroughs High School. This fall, Olivia will be attending California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo to pursue a major in agricultural and environmental plant sciences. Congratulations Olivia!
“In five years, I see myself out of college and pursuing a career centered around ornamental horticulture or within the plant sciences. I hope to be able to integrate my art into my career in any way possible. I think it would be wonderful to work in the Disney Parks horticulture unit and arrange and care for the plant life around the Parks; this would be an almost perfect combination of my interests!”
My name is Olivia Bresee. I am 18 years old and a 2020 graduate of John Burroughs High School. Fine art is a passion of mine. I have many mediums that I enjoy working with, including paints like acrylics, gouache, and watercolor, and sculpture mediums like paper mache, ceramics, and polymer clay.
What was your first experience with the arts while in the Burbank Unified Schools? My first school course-specific to art was my seventh grade Art Class at Jordan Middle School. It was a semester-long class but allowed me to experiment with some new mediums and get to know my teacher, Ms. Fiola, and other students who were also very passionate about the arts.
What art experience in the schools are you most proud of, and how did it impact you? There is no singular experience that I am most proud of, but I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to have taken so many different art classes throughout my years of schooling through BUSD. These art courses have given me more confidence in expressing myself and have also really helped me grow as an individual. Being exposed to so many unique styles and mediums has taught me so much over the years, and I hope everyone can have that experience with whatever form of art they enjoy.
What advice do you have for younger students interested in doing something like what you do? I think the best advice that I could give is: don’t give up, and be proud of every little improvement. Keep trying and exploring new things that spark your interest. My favorite pieces and mediums were challenging to figure out the first few times I tried working with them, but I kept at it until I became more satisfied with the outcomes. I am very proud of what I have achieved thus far.
Please share your plans for your future after graduation. Are you going on to college? If so, where and what do you hope to study? In fall 2020, I will be attending California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo to pursue a major in agricultural and environmental plant sciences.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Do you expect the arts to continue to play a role in your life, and if so, how? In five years, I see myself out of college and pursuing a career centered around ornamental horticulture or within the plant sciences. I hope to be able to integrate my art into my career in any way possible. I think it would be wonderful to work in the Disney Parks horticulture unit and arrange and care for the plant life around the Parks; this would be an almost perfect combination of my interests! Art brings me so much joy. It gives me a visually pleasing way to express myself and make others happy. I know for a fact that I will continue creating for as long as I can in this lifetime.
One of Olivia’s art pieces. Photo courtesy of Olivia Bresee.