0. Mitzy Ledezma

I was proudly born in Caracas, Venezuela in a house full of family love, happiness and warmth. Have been blessed with remarkable parents that are an example of dignity and decency, 4 sisters, which are the best friends someone could ever EVER have, and 5 amazing nephews, with the most beautiful smiles that are my motivation in life.
Before coming to nyc, I studied education for a year in Caracas; I decided the career was not for me because I pictured myself more in the taking action, developing, creating stream rather than following what already existed in a inactive system that had and has no expectatives, (thanks to our current president) of becoming what it should be, a very deserved quality of education in which children are provided with the knowledge to protect themselves from the hazards of poverty and demagogy leaders-etc-and so they can one day have the confidence to reach their full potential.
Came here mid May, and have been since not only growing as a person and acknowledging that when real people fall down in certain moments of life, they get right back up and keep walking, absolutely no time to loathe, but also increasing and taking as much as possible of my experience here at Parsons, with extraordinary teachers and classmates and in ny. To, in a hopefully near future come back to Venezuela and take with me the required eye and comprehension to help in innovative ways the very needed.
Total optimistic, love to laugh internally when people say “this could only happen to me”, worship kite surf, captivated with passion fruit, lucky charms and Venezuela’s landscapes.
Finally… trying to live by this:
“Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm, as you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others.” AH

1. Holden Akerley

I was born in Saco Maine to a couple of artistic parents in a cathedral ceiling condo in a restored factory. I moved out of ME at around two and lived with my parents in my grandma’s house in CT. When I was about five I moved into a beautiful colonial house right near a huge lake in Southwick, MA. I guess you would call this “normal.” That is, living in this kindof house in suburbia.
I grew up here. This is where I experienced a lot of firsts. I lost my virginity in my bedroom, had my first drink in the kitchen, learned how to play the piano in the den, and wrestled a dog in my living room. To me this was perfection. Summers were always warm and autumns always crisp. When I was 16 my parents got divorced and my mother and I moved into a condo in Springfield MA. I had to move away from this “perfection” and leave my little dog too. It was devastating but I dealt with it. We stayed at the chic little condo for about a year and a half until December 2008 when we moved into another beautiful house in Wilbraham MA. I guess you can say I am lucky when it comes to actually living in the sense that I was always provided for. As far as schooling goes you can say that was a bit normal too. I went to a public school in Southwick for K‐9 then I went to a catholic high school in Springfield for my freshman, junior and senior year. I went back to the public school for my sophomore year but realized that the education and experiences were richer at Cathedral. Ironic huh? For someone who is agnostic I felt more welcomed (most of the time) at that school than a public one. I Also hooked up with numerous “straight” guys from there. It’s Really funny when you think about it. I Got into the arts at a very young age because both of my parents are artists. That Exposed me to fashion, which I fell in love with about six years ago. Living In NYC is amazing and is a dream come true but there are still parts of me that miss those “good ole’ times.”

2. Melanie Berger

N/A

3. Ana Maria Bezanilla

Name:Ana Maria Bezanilla
Hometown: Los Angeles/Chicago
Major: Undecided
Inspiration: The 'amateur' quality of zines is appealing to me. Good work comes from passion for the subject or idea you are working with. The editions which I have found to be more successful in portraying their idea are the ones that I connected the most with, which seems obvious at first, but with this more than a lot of things the medium chosen IS the message. I am inspired by stoops, vertical living, 4:35 AM, the rumbling of trains, Brooklyn weekends and Manhattan mornings, amongst other things which fall into the umbrella of 'everything.'

4. Jennifer Brent

My name is Jennifer Brent. I come from a town north of Westchester but I fancy myself from somewhere more interesting like the Island of Misfit Toys. I’m an intended double-major in writing and fine art. My inspiration is largely based off Lewis Carroll and whatever song happens to be stuck in my head at the moment.

5. Jillian DeMayo

My name is Jillian, I'm from Connecticut and I want to be a fashion designer. I went to a high school for the arts and took classes in everything, theater, acting, technical theater, photography, costume shop, dance, ceramics, and graphic design and I loved them all. I have been dancing for 16 years, I do ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, and hip hop. I want to do ballroom dancing and learn more forms of mixed martial arts. I like to try new things, like food and sports, and I love to travel. I like snowboarding and ice skating, I used to horseback ride and really want to start up again. I cannot sing, I cannot play an instrument, I have tried both and it's best if I don't try again. Haha. I'm extremely hard working and I don't give up easily. I am so lucky to be where I am today and I want to make the most of my Parsons experience!

6. Susana Castro

Born in Colombia
Raised in Colombia/Miami
Living in NYC now.
Parsons Class of 2013