trevordayschool

Leslie Hanson '04 Art Director and Graphic Designer What drew you to Trevor for your high school years? Moving to high school was a transition from public to private school for me, and Trevor stood out from all the others as a casual and open environment that encouraged pursuing your own interests and creativity. e ability to shape your own schedule through electives and before- and after-school clubs (at the time called Sunblock, and later Sunrises and Sunsets), the access to teachers in the Common Rooms and after hours, and the closeness of the student community made Trevor feel more like a playground for the developing mind, as opposed to an institution—and this was even apparent to me in the touring and interview phase! Can you share how Trevor developed your roots as a graphic designer? Trevor's focus on putting technology into the hands of the students created a one-of-a-kind environment that fostered the growth of my interest in digital art. At the time, every student had their own personal computer, which was a very new idea. Combined with the tech-focused curriculum and available electives, I developed a relationship with experimentation that I couldn't have had anywhere else. My web design class with Jim Zulakis introduced me to digital design. Extracurriculars—such as the computer programming club, video club, the literary magazine (e Flame), and Multiple Identities, One World (MIOW), Trevor's student-run multicultural organization—allowed me to apply what I learned to real, self-driven projects. e fact that I had contributed to the school's culture gave me a great sense of accomplishment. And over a decade later, the opportunity to design the Trevor Fund logo and the last two Annual Reports has provided me that same sense of accomplishment. Editor's Note: Another example of Leslie's creativity is the fact that the full-page image to the left is a self- portrait! How did he do that??? "I arranged the socks on the floor, set up the tripod with the camera pointing down, tethered it to my laptop, and then used the laptop as a remote viewfinder and shutter. en, I got down on the floor and tried to make it look as if I took the shot in a studio." L o w e r S c h o o l 1 W e s t 8 8 t h S t r e e t N e w Y o r k , N Y 1 0 0 2 4 M i d d l e & U p p e r S c h o o l 3 1 2 E a s t 9 5 t h S t r e e t N e w Y o r k , N Y 1 0 1 2 8 w w w .t r e v o r . o r g T r e v o r D a y S c h o o l a n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 7 – 2 0 1 8 T r e v o r D a y S c h o o l a n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 7 – 2 0 1 8 Left: e Flame staff from left to right: Leslie, Alex Gershwin '04, Mr. Meatto, Allyson Paty '05, and Lindsey Feinberg '05; Right: e grad with his parents, at commencement. Amazing. How did Trevor prepare you for college and for real life? Right out of the gate, Trevor helped me be more comfortable with establishing personal relationships with my college professors. It also set a precedent for getting involved with student organizations and being able to identify the unique contributions that I made—based on skills I developed at Trevor. For both college and real life, a comfortable relationship with authority was definitely fostered by my time at Trevor as well! What are your passions, and have they influenced how your career has developed? Digital art and music have always been my greatest passions; my father has always been involved with community service, serving as board member at a center for underprivileged children in Harlem for over 20 years. My digital design education that began at Trevor took me through a career in ad agencies, Kaplan, Grubhub/Seamless, and today at Bombas. Bombas has given me a unique opportunity to combine my education and passions with living up to my father's legacy of helping the community. 4 9 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 – 2 0 1 9 T r e v o r D a y S c h o o l a n n u a l r e p o r t 2 0 1 6 – 2 0 1 7

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