Community Spotlight: Jacob De Palm

Jacob De Palm is a rising junior who has participated in our Teen Bridge program since eighth grade. He is also working with Yuko Okabe as a Teen Artist for our 2025 Artist Residency this summer, and this is his third summer participating in one of our Artist Residencies. We sat down with Jacob for this month’s Community Spotlight to learn more about how he sees the Eliot School and his place in our community.

You'll be able to see Jacob's artwork along with the artwork of many other talented teens at the My Recipe, Our Potluck exhibition at Piano Craft Gallery from August 22 to September 7.

Transcript

Jacob: My name is Jacob De Palm. I am 16 years old. I'm about to be 17. I'm going into the 11th grade this school year. I've been in Teen Bridge since I could start, when I was about 14, back in the eighth grade, and it is really fun. We just do a lot of art. We talk; we chat.

What is your favorite artistic medium? 

Jacob: I like to do a lot of comic art and stuff like that, so that mostly revolves around paper and graphite.

How did you initially get involved with the Eliot School? 

Jacob: Well, I got involved with the Eliot School when I was about eight, I think. I came here for the summer camp. I did kind of have a hiatus with the Eliot School after I was about ten, so after fourth grade. Then I came back again in the eighth grade. That was largely due to COVID. Plus, I wasn't old enough to do Teen Bridge yet. But then, when I came back and I realized that I could do this all through high school, [I realized] I could get art experience and learn some responsibility with money. So that’s pretty good.   

How would you say your relationship with the Eliot School has evolved? 

Jacob: In the summer camp, I was more used to just hammering wood, putting Legos together, and just watching stuff happen for five days a week, and then I would go home. But at Teen Bridge, it's more of a place where we’re actively encouraged to step outside of our comfort zone and do things like papier mâché or artist residencies, where we have different types of mediums of art to work with. 

What are your hopes for the future of the Eliot School and your future at the Eliot School? 

Jacob: I've always kind of known it to be somewhat niche, not too big, not too small. So I hope, not necessarily that we keep it that way, but that as people come and go, it doesn't become something that’s too widespread, too much of this, too much of that. Something that’s kind of just for the community.

Do you have anything else you want to share about the Eliot School? 

Jacob: People here are genuinely really personal. They really do want to know how you’re doing and what you’re feeling. Sometimes it might just be a coworker relationship, but other times, like with the people that I work with—my peers and the facilitators, Jennifer, Megha, Maya, and Jude—they’re all really personal people. They really do want to hear about your day. They want to know how you’re feeling and want to make sure you’re okay. So the community here, like I said before, it’s really tight-knit. And it’s a place where you’re not alone. If you come here, you’re coming to a very open-armed community. They’re very accepting, and it's really nice to have that. It’s like a second family almost.