Aleah Starr ’11, Montpelier, Vermont

Aleah Starr ’11 discusses her art project about eating disorders, her aspiration to teach middle school English, and how she almost didn’t come to Colby.

You got a lot of press about “Projection,” your multimedia art display that projects words on people to raise awareness about eating disorders. How did “Projection” go from an idea to what it is now?

The Goldfarb Center at Colby was incredibly helpful. They basically have an umbrella mission statement that says, “We have money to do cool things.” I presented Goldfarb with my proposal and asked if it would fit under any grant categories. Their response was, “No, but we’ll make you one.” There is now a civic engagement grant through the Goldfarb Center that other students can apply for. They were helpful in other ways too, printing off my posters and making large prints of the photos.

The words projected onto student models come from Colby students. What was it like to hear Colby students’ stories about eating disorders?

It was very intense and sad. These are stories from people I don’t directly know, but they are my peers. Colby students’ stories were some of the most graphic I’ve gotten. These are people on my campus and I have to wonder if they are getting the help they need.

You’re an English major. Why art?

As students at Colby we spend a lot of time listening. For visual learners, [art] is a significantly more powerful way to make a statement. It’s important to note that the photographs are not mine. I am a writer, not an artist. I had friends take the photos and I supplied the words.

Where has “Projection” been, other than Colby?

Projection was shown at the Girls Rock conference, a convention at Bowdoin College, and at Husson University. I [also] took it to the State House. … I envision an evolution of the project to make it more interactive. Something like a workshop where people in the classroom stand up to be canvases themselves.

You’re into education.

I want to be a teacher. A middle school English teacher. I’m one of those lucky people who decided to be a teacher at fourteen and still loves doing it. There isn’t an education major at Colby, you major in the subject area you want to teach in and minor in education.

What about your education classes?

My favorite education professors are Adam Howard and Mark Tappan. Tappan’s class Social Class and Schooling is phenomenal.

Did you get to do any student teaching as a sophomore?

Yes. Last semester I student-taught at [neighboring] Messalonskee Middle School doing seventh-grade English. The teacher assigned me to students who were struggling the most and I helped them out. I also mentored a student at Messalonskee outside of this class. I probably spent more time in class at Messalonskee than at Colby last semester.

So why did you choose Colby?

Funny story, actually. As a sophomore in high school we took a class trip to Wellesley College and I thought, “This is the place.” I visited so many times junior year, doing tours and interviews. Fall of senior year I was applying early decision to Wellesley and my parents suggested I do the Maine circuit of schools. I didn’t really want to go at all, but they suggested I interview at the Maine schools as practice for my Wellesley interview. I came to Colby, did an interview and a tour, threw out my Wellesley application and applied early decision to Colby.

Images from Aleah Starr’s multimedia art display, which projects notes about eating disorders onto students. Photos by Kristin Nissen ’11.

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