Haverford fosters a wide range of talent among its student body. These strengths can be seen in many areas, like academics, athletics, or the arts.
It is rare, however, for students to excel in all of these disciplines simultaneously.
Whether his track spikes are piercing the ground or a paintbrush rests in his palm, Sixth Former Jey Brown fits right in the center of this Venn diagram.
“People think that everyone has a ‘main’ of some sort, like, ‘Oh, you’re known for this, you’re known for that,’ Brown said. “But just because you’re known for something doesn’t mean you don’t have other interests.”
Many of Brown’s peers consider his “main” activity to be track and field. He is an All-American athlete who has racked up countless medals and awards over the years. Brown has found so much success on both the track and field that he competes in almost every single event.
This intense involvement in the sport places a lot on Brown’s plate—expectations are high for him at every meet.
“Doing most of the events can get pretty annoying sometimes,” Brown said. “But then again, I did choose to do this.”
Brown also feels the pressure of juggling multiple responsibilities at practice. “It can be hard to practice sometimes because I’m doing three different events in one practice,” Brown said. “It’s manageable though, and I’m doing it.”
A large part of Brown’s identity is being an athlete. What many people don’t realize is that being an artist is just as large of a part of Brown’s identity.
Brown’s artistic journey began in the footsteps of his older brother.
“I’ve always liked drawing, but I started to draw a lot more when my older brother started drawing more,” Brown said. “When I came to Haverford, I didn’t really like the other two options [music and theater] enough to take the class, so I started taking art classes.”
Art Department Chair Mr. Christopher Fox’s class—which Brown has been a part of for the past four years—is where he believes his talent was truly elevated.
“Mr. Fox gave me all the keys. The light and shade, the building blocks, color theory, shapes,” Brown said. “He’s just a helpful guy in general.”
Currently, Brown’s main art mediums are graphite pencil and oil paint. If Brown chooses to pursue art in college, he may dabble in more art forms.
“I would definitely consider studying photography and graphic design if I go to an art school,” Brown said. “I’m also thinking about some fashion stuff. If you give me clothes to style, I feel like I could do that pretty well.”
So, how does Brown balance these two interests while also managing school work?
“It’s hard because these extra-curricular based activities where most of my interest lies take a lot of time,” Brown said. “You gotta bite the bullet sometimes and do the school work that you need to do and put the stuff you enjoy on the back burner for the weekend.”
Brown’s strategy to efficiently juggle these interests also involves keeping a genuine and flexible personality.
“The people on the track team are very different from the people in my art class,” Brown said. “I try to keep my character as fluid as possible, so I can interact with whoever and don’t have to change [how I act]. I try to keep myself as real and authentic as possible.”
Having witnessed Brown’s diligence in the art studio over the years, Mr. Fox weighed in on Brown’s nonconformity.
“I think people might look to Jey as an example of someone who didn’t allow himself to be pigeonholed,” Mr. Fox said. “Sometimes people think athlete, artist, and academic are separate things, but Jey rejected that and said, ‘These are my things and I’m just gonna pursue them.’”
“I think that’s one really good thing about Haverford, especially these days, in my time, is that everybody does it all,” Mr. Fox said.
Brown agreed with Mr. Fox about not letting himself be limited to one field.
“I hate being fit into a box,” Brown said. “You can’t fit me in a box if I’m human-shaped.”