By Chloe Kiparsky
Described by peers and teachers as an open-hearted, kind, and spontaneous character, Bee Boykin makes their mark on the world in many forms, namely through creative expression and unadulterated kindness. They have a wonderful spirit that shines through them in the best ways possible.
Playing music is a major part of Bee’s life, but they said that, in their free time, “any creative outlets are what I spend a lot of time doing.” Creativity is the heart and soul of many people, and Bee cannot live without it.
When asked what makes them happy, they said without hesitation that it is “things that spark creativity, whether it’s me doing it or seeing someone else do it.” They love creativity so much because “there’s no feeling or emotion or activity that’s quite like it.” According to Bee, the best feeling in the world is “letting your creative thought process take control and acting on it.”
Their advice to anyone who is struggling with creative blocks is that “there’s so much that falls under that umbrella of what creativity is, and anyone has it, their own perception of creativity and their own way of acting on it.”
Bee is a great example of being able to find inspiration anywhere and everywhere. “I think the biggest inspiration for anything in my life is the people I’m close to,” they said: “Whatever they say, whatever they do is gonna inspire me in some way because those people mean something to me.”
They also spoke about their challenges with the support system in the school and the community in general. “People in Ouray will see you struggling,” they said, “and instead of trying to help you, they'll talk behind your back and stop interacting with you all together. Any struggles with mental health are just seen as weird in Ouray. Can't we all love and support each other a little more?”
This sentiment of theirs has been recognized by many people, one of them being affective counselor Jaceson Cole. Bee, he said, has “made Ouray a better, safer, more fun, vibrant place for all of us,” he said. “Their personality is top-notch, and they’re a joy to be around.”
Bee’s life philosophy is that “in the end, we’re all just kind of along for a very unpredictable ride.” They said that they “get philosophical a lot,” but “more about things IN life, not about life itself.”
Head of maintenance Charlie Yoder admires Bee’s ability to live fully. “As a human being, it’s easy to just exist,” he said, “but to live is more difficult and I think Bee does that really, really well.”
After graduating, Bee is planning to go with the flow. They expect to spend the summer working at Mojo’s and playing music, then move to Montrose and see what’ll happen for them next. As is true for many Ouray students, Bee is “gonna miss just about everything,” but they are “really excited to leave.”
Their parting sentiment for the Ouray community is not to be afraid to be a little - okay, a lot - weird. After all, they said, “there are so many people in this world, and all of us are ridiculous.”
Described by peers and teachers as an open-hearted, kind, and spontaneous character, Bee Boykin makes their mark on the world in many forms, namely through creative expression and unadulterated kindness. They have a wonderful spirit that shines through them in the best ways possible.
Playing music is a major part of Bee’s life, but they said that, in their free time, “any creative outlets are what I spend a lot of time doing.” Creativity is the heart and soul of many people, and Bee cannot live without it.
When asked what makes them happy, they said without hesitation that it is “things that spark creativity, whether it’s me doing it or seeing someone else do it.” They love creativity so much because “there’s no feeling or emotion or activity that’s quite like it.” According to Bee, the best feeling in the world is “letting your creative thought process take control and acting on it.”
Their advice to anyone who is struggling with creative blocks is that “there’s so much that falls under that umbrella of what creativity is, and anyone has it, their own perception of creativity and their own way of acting on it.”
Bee is a great example of being able to find inspiration anywhere and everywhere. “I think the biggest inspiration for anything in my life is the people I’m close to,” they said: “Whatever they say, whatever they do is gonna inspire me in some way because those people mean something to me.”
They also spoke about their challenges with the support system in the school and the community in general. “People in Ouray will see you struggling,” they said, “and instead of trying to help you, they'll talk behind your back and stop interacting with you all together. Any struggles with mental health are just seen as weird in Ouray. Can't we all love and support each other a little more?”
This sentiment of theirs has been recognized by many people, one of them being affective counselor Jaceson Cole. Bee, he said, has “made Ouray a better, safer, more fun, vibrant place for all of us,” he said. “Their personality is top-notch, and they’re a joy to be around.”
Bee’s life philosophy is that “in the end, we’re all just kind of along for a very unpredictable ride.” They said that they “get philosophical a lot,” but “more about things IN life, not about life itself.”
Head of maintenance Charlie Yoder admires Bee’s ability to live fully. “As a human being, it’s easy to just exist,” he said, “but to live is more difficult and I think Bee does that really, really well.”
After graduating, Bee is planning to go with the flow. They expect to spend the summer working at Mojo’s and playing music, then move to Montrose and see what’ll happen for them next. As is true for many Ouray students, Bee is “gonna miss just about everything,” but they are “really excited to leave.”
Their parting sentiment for the Ouray community is not to be afraid to be a little - okay, a lot - weird. After all, they said, “there are so many people in this world, and all of us are ridiculous.”