For junior Olympia Yan, pursuing a career in fashion meant pushing past doubt, forging her own path, and proving - both to herself and others - that creativity could be her future. But once she found her passion, there was no turning back.
Her journey began in eighth grade with a simple sewing project. At first, the experience left her feeling discouraged, but if there’s one thing about Olympia, it’s that she doesn’t back down from a challenge. Determined to improve, she signed up for Clothing and Design her freshman year.
“In the beginning, I was discouraged from sewing. We had to sew pants, but I couldn’t sew for the life of me since no one had ever taught me. I took the class freshman year just for fun, thinking, ‘Maybe it’ll be fun to try out, maybe I can make some stuff.’ I was pretty bad and felt kind of behind because lots of people seemed to already know how to sew, and I was just so confused. But I stuck with it because I thought, ‘Oh, this is actually kind of fun.’ I still thought it was a fun class, so I decided to take it again the next year and also go on the New York trip.”
That trip to New York changed everything.
“The New York trip was amazing and pushed me to keep doing this and consider it as a career. When I went to New York freshman year with Mrs. Erickson and everyone, it was so cool. We got to visit so many fashion places, and when I went to the Met Gala Museum, it was amazing to see all those dresses and everything.”
That experience solidified her dreams, and from then on, Olympia threw herself into fashion with full force.
“I got really lucky joining Styler to be able to do what I love.”
She knew fashion was her future, even as she grappled with the weight of expectations pulling her in a different direction.
“As a first-gen student pursuing a creative career, I've faced a lot of challenges. I’ve always been expected to be more into math and science. It’s tough to navigate through what I’m supposed to do versus what I actually want to do. I grew up with the expectation that I’d take AP Bio and those really hard classes everyone’s ‘supposed’ to take - that’s what I’ve always known. My mom works in computer science, my brother’s in computer science, and my grandma was a doctor.”
Despite these challenges, Olympia’s passion speaks louder. She refuses to let doubt - or outside pressure - hold her back.
“Sometimes you have to fight for yourself and find your own opportunities. You have to want it for yourself, though. Honestly, I didn’t know what I wanted to do at first, and I felt like I had to do what everyone else was doing. People will tell you, ‘Art is hard,’ or ‘Art won’t get you anywhere,’ but that’s not true. You just have to do your best.”
Olympia credits much of her confidence to the people who stand by her, especially her mom.
“My friends and my mom are always there to support me and ease my worries. My mom is really supportive of my choice, and I really love her. She’s amazing. She always tells me, ‘Just try your best, and you’ll succeed.’ She reminds me that I’ve got this.”
As she hones her craft, Olympia is also paying it forward - mentoring friends, sharing her skills, and bringing others into the world of fashion. Whether she’s helping her peers in class or preparing to showcase her own collection in the Fashion Show, she’s eager to support those around her.
“In the past, I couldn’t really help my friends, but now I can, which is really nice. I’m always happy to help.”
As Olympia continues to grow, she sees fashion as more than just fabric and stitches - it’s a reflection of identity, confidence and self-expression.
“I feel like, yeah, it’s just clothes, but for a lot of people, it’s also a way of life,” she said. “For me, it’s something that defines you. It shows how much you care about something - and even how much you care about yourself.”
