Catching up with Akeem Muhammad
The Huntington High School fashion program offered Akeem Muhammad a chance to shine and he grabbed the opportunity, squeezing it for every last bit of worth. After graduating last June with the Class of 2009, he took his talent to Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and is cultivating it while learning fashion design from some of the best in the industry.
“The classes I'm taking are flat pattern (drawing a pattern to make the garments), draping (creating a design on a dress form without a pattern), sewing techniques (learning the many different ways to use the sewing machine), fashion art (drawing fashion sketches), model drawing (learning how to draw clothes with detailing while the outfit is on a model), life drawing (drawing men or women or both at the same time to learn the true motions of how the body flows for when drawing a fashion sketch), dance gym (dancing to music) and, for liberal arts, English,” Mr. Muhammad said.
Although his classes run for two or three hours each, the time flies by. “It feels like I'm only in class for 30 minutes because I’m having too much fun learning for my future,” the Huntington grad said.
In the dance class, “I had to do my signature single ladies dance and all Beyonce's other dances,” Mr. Muhammad said. “I just made the dance team. I'm excited to start practice next week.”
Huntington High School fashion teachers Kristin Singer and Amy Worth spotted Mr. Muhammad’s talent and so did everyone else after a series of stunning public fashion shows last spring highlighted the teenager’s most impressive creations.
“My campus life is amazing,” Mr. Muhammad said about FIT. “Almost every Thursday is movie night for the campus and the game room is always open with anything you can image from air hockey to pool. I'm always involved with something in the school. All my friends in college always hang out together when we have the time.”
Like all freshmen, the Huntington grad has been navigating through the changes involved in transitioning from high school to college life, including the available food choices. “The school has the most amazing cafeteria; everything from fresh deli to Spanish food to barbeque is cooked or made right in front of you,” Mr. Muhammad said. “They even have my favorite, sushi. Even the breakfast is amazing. It’s basically an all-you-can-eat buffet all day but I go to the school gym to burn it all off, I have to stay fierce! And to top it all off I don't have to pay for anything because I got a full scholarship for two years.”
During his senior year, the Huntington alum carefully considered his college options and is happy with the decision to accept the FIT scholarship. “This college is truly the best thing that happened for me and my future,” he said. “I’m learning so much that I never knew. Before I started I felt really nervous because I expected real angry professors and hard to make friends. But everything turned out great the first week and now I feel so comfortable with everything and love it. I picked the perfect college for my future.”
Back home, the teachers and students associated with Huntington High School’s fashion program are proud of Mr. Muhammad and what he’s doing with his life and continue to draw inspiration from his work ethic and talent.
“After I get my bachelor’s degree, I plan on going back to study men’s wear,” he said. “I miss my true friends from high school so much and I can't wait to see them real soon.”
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