Sophomore Kyrie Varieur is part of the photography program at FUHS, but has loved photography since elementary school.

“In elementary school I’d play around with my dad’s phone camera, and I’d take photos of trees and flowers,” Varieur said. “It wasn’t until eighth grade that I really started to use a DSLR [Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera] and test out different creative things.”

The FUHS photography program helped her expand her creative interest by giving her a tribe. To her, it’s a place that feels like family and a place where people are welcoming, where there’s a bond that everyone can feel.

“The first couple weeks of freshman year were kind of hard,” Varieur said. “But, being in the photo program gave me automatic friends. It helped me talk to people, and we bonded over a creative interest.”

Varieur loves the program because of the sense of community as well as the sense of competition.

“When you see other peoples work it encourages you to go further,” Varieur said. “I think that’s what’s cool about photography; there’s a nice balance of competition and friendliness. People are encouraging each other, and you get inspired by others.”