I think most of us can agree that middle school is often a collection of three awkward years filled with pimples, growth spurts and hyper-pubescent people. For most people, they are trying to find their way, trying to find their “thing.” For others, it is a time to form cliques and be mean to the others.

The early high school years can be the same. Certainly, some people are just as judgemental as they were in middle school. And certainly people are just as unsure of themselves.

For those that are lucky, they are able to find their thing early and start taking steps towards what they want to do.

A great example of that is dTHS senior Tiffany Yehuda.

Tiffany has loved fashion since the age of nine and therefore over the course of her life she has taken the necessary steps towards ensuring her acceptance into a prestigious design college.

While some of us are still unsure of our desired college majors, Tiffany knows what she wanted and she is prepared to do what it takes.

Tiffany said, “My earliest experience in the fashion universe was at 12 years old when I sat in a class full of 16-year-olds at the Academy of Couture Art, a program within the Beverly Hills Design Institute.” This is where her desire developed.

In this class a young Tiffany learned how to design, sketch, and sew. This is also where she got to make a skirt and dress from scratch.

Instead of making fun of her age and treating her like a baby, her fellow students were incredibly impressed with her.

Also at the age of 12, Tiffany was fortunate enough to design her very own Bat Mitzvah dress which she then had made by a tailor.

Tiffany started the FIDM fashion club during junior year. It was this club that ultimately helped Tiffany gain acceptance to FIDM and win a scholarship.

During her junior year, Tiffany decided to help the cast of Grease with their costumes. Then she took took it upon herself to seek out and obtain an internship at a fashion PR company where she still goes every week.  

It was during this internship that Tiffany worked backstage at the BET fashion show during the summer.

During the summer between junior and senior year Tiffany decided to start a YouTube channel. This is something she had wanted to do for a long time. She was originally inspired by other YouTubers and their channels, but at the age of 17, she finally mustered up the courage to do so. On this channel Tiffany helps people create outfits based on hers, she talks about herself and she does makeup tutorials.

In December 2017, Tiffany completed a two week period of acting as the assistant stylist for Laverne Cox. During this period, Tiffany walked in a fashion show during during LA fashion week.

Along her journey, Tiffany has faced criticism and has been made fun of for the way that she put herself out there.

While some criticize, others applaud her for the work she is doing and how passionate about it.

In this day and age, no one should feel ashamed of what they want to do in life, and certainly not in our community. Tiffany’s determination has already paid off and she will continue to be an inspiration for the rest of us.