Leah Fullerton is a freshman at BK this year, and though she has not yet involved herself in school-sanctioned clubs or sports, she has a full career outside of school.

Fullerton does a sport called aerial silks, which she has been involved in for approximately five years since she was 11.

“One of my friends took me to this dance recital, and one of the performances was on a silk,” Fullerton said. This experience prompted her to take part in the sport herself.

Because it is such a unique sport, there are a lot of misconceptions about it. One of the common ones is that “you need to have flexibility to get into it… I still have barely any flexibility, and I got in.”

If she were to describe how performances make her feel, it would be “terrified.” She went on to explain how performances have never really been her thing, both creative and school related.

“It’s really helped me to be more confident… I stand up more often because of it,” Fullerton said. She has always liked public speaking, but courage often hinders her ability to actually do it.

Because of this, she “loves doing anything that involves expression.”

Beyond silks, she enjoys writing as well, as it is another form of expression. “Even essays, I love those.”

Though all forms of writing make her happy, her favorite is poetry. Robert Frost, in particular, is her role model as his talent really impresses Fullerton.

Fullerton does not regret any of the artistic forms that she has involved herself in. She believes that, just like with silks and public speaking, courage or misconceptions should not stop people from chasing their dreams.

Though she struggled at first, Fullerton sees herself continuing silks and poetry for a while into the future as those creative forms of expression truly make up who she is.