When Keanu Williams, a senior at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, enrolls at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) this fall, he says he is excited to pursue his dream of being a fashion designer and opening up his own fashion house. During his time at Duke Ellington, Keanu has honed his fashion design skills as the fashion director of his school’s senior variety show and the costume designer for his senior dance performances. “I got to create, embellish, order, and make everything to do with the costumes.” At FIT, Keanu says he is looking forward to taking on internships with designers through which he will learn how to build a brand and “everything that there is to know about fashion.” Keanu says that his designs are inspired by the world around him, and he can’t wait to move to New York. While Keanu has taken advantage of his school’s extensive art programming through his involvement as a dance major – including the study of jazz, ballet, hip hop, and African dance – Keanu says that the school also has a serious focus on traditional academic programming. Keanu’s schedule at Duke Ellington has allowed for a half a day of arts programming and half a day of academic programming to give students access to both parts of the curriculum. Keanu, who is a member of the National Honor Society and Vice President of his senior class, says the school teaches students how to balance these responsibilities. “You’ve got to have good time management. You’ve got to know what you’re doing, and you’ve got to be focused.” #DCPSGoesToCollege
