At the end of my junior year, I met my future art teacher. Yes, I had been at that school since I was an actual three-year-old, and I had barely stepped foot in the art room. All my fine arts elective credits came from orchestra and creative writing, so I never needed to take any additional credits. Besides, I never saw myself as an artist. I could draw manatees and buildings. That’s it. However, through a series of unusual events that I can’t quite remember, I ended up in the art wing office, pointing to a college poster on her wall and saying, “Hey, I’m applying there!” “How haven’t I met you yet?” she said. From there, we got to talking about how I want to go into architecture. I explained how I’d done a summer course the previous summer and had fallen in love with it. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I couldn’t wait. Then she recommended me for AP Studio Art. It was vital that I familiarize myself with the studio setting, she told me, and art skills...