Mariel Garcia -The Liberated Collection-

Maybe she'll speak to you in Spanish, or if you're lucky she might speak to you in French. But you'd be considered fortunate if she spoke to you in any language. Mariel seems to be comfortable with quietness, a quality I can appreciate -- I think we undervalue the rejuvenating quality of silence. I often wonder if people confuse or misunderstand her reticent personality as being aloof or disingenuous. She's far from being a socialite, but she's anything but rude. She shared many lovely things with me.

I wish I grew up with Mariel as a friend. Baking, and homemade cooking in general seem to be a dying hobby and skill, and Mariel is a dynamite baker. I admire her unselfish willingness to share her talent with friends and family, "it's just nice to make people happy with food". She was commanding in the kitchen, rarely looking at the recipe for her oatmeal cookies, purely going off instinct and imagination, with a "why not make it how I want to make it" attitude. Mariel is also precocious. She's already listening to NPR and The Beatles. She's a purser of spontaneity amongst good friends. She peruses antique shops in hopes of adding to her vintage camera collection -- and at 18 she's got a great start. But overall, I get the feeling Mariel is a thinker, letting her feelings and thoughts play catch together. I even remember her describing her mind like an elevator. Well put. What a beautiful trait. This is Mariel Garcia, and she's been liberated.

Phoenica Zhang -The Liberated Collection-

I surveyed the parking lot. I wandered through the layers of questions my mind had created as I sat patiently for my new friend to arrive. I wondered what type of car this Duke bound student would be driving? Would she be talkative over the course of our two hour excursion? Would I find a location that she'd like? Would I find a location that I'd like? Had I put on deodorant? I wondered if she was waiting at a different Best Buy parking lot, having similar contemplations. Moments pass and she arrived. She stepped out of an elongated Cadillac and we exchanged greetings. Holy crap she's tall. Is this Yao Ming's sister? She threw her belongings in my car and she and her friend jumped in.

I appreciate long car rides, especially when I'm accompanied by those I know little about. It allows me to ask an array of questions --the less attention on me the better. I relish in knowing what young people are thinking about, what they think their future looks like, and what they hope to do in this life. It's a reminder to me of the amazing gift of free agency that we all have. Phoenica, who put up with a few hours of name mispronunciation, was a joy to spend an afternoon with. She is wicked intelligent -- #2 GPA in her graduating class, she is a musical maverick who learns to play new musical instruments whenever she desires -- when we had spoke she had just picked up the guitar and ukelele, and she's equipped with athletic prowess. I imagine her 6 foot frame was quite the inside presence on the basketball court when she played for three years at Ironwood High School. Underneath the surface achievements I got to know the weirder, more candid, comical side of Miss Zhang. Laugh out loud moments were had when she whipped up one of her bizarre "scary faces". I know the right environment is being created when an 18 year old is willingly embarrassing herself in front of me. I appreciate the shameless conduct, because usually it's I who is dabbling in such behavior, just to muster a pair of genuine laughs. It also helps to shatter the barrier that separates stranger and friend. Consider those boundaries crossed. This is Phoenica Zhang, and she's been liberated.

The Thompson's -The Family Collection-

I admire this woman. She's wonder woman personified. A recent nursing school graduate, endearingly proud mother, and a helpful shopping buddy, Bonnie is one of those friends you feel privileged to be close to. I'm exultant in her company. I will be in my room some nights when I will literally fictionalize a desire to hydrate so I have an excuse to go downstairs to see her when she comes over to hang out with my roommate Scott. I've spent countless times staring aimlessly, though with a smile on my face, into the deep interior of our refrigerator, reaching for a water that I don't need, in a attempt to hear one of those laughs that make you try extra hard to be funny while your around her. So imagine if you will for a moment, how much enjoyment I took away from this shoot. This is Bonnie's family.