On the night of October 17th 2019, halfway through the academic semester, Yvonne was struck by a vehicle on her way home from school that left her dominant right arm broken in a sling for the rest of the year. The injury was a major impediment to the process of making a sneaker by hand; a process with labor-intensive steps such as hammering and nailing, using specialty machinery, and handling materials that go into construction.

Ignited by her age-old dream of making her own sneakers, Yvonne’s injury motivated her even more. While her program representatives advised her to cut her losses and withdraw from the class entirely, she stayed behind in the shoemaking studio late into the evening every week to keep up with the rest of the class.

On the final night of the semester, she was the last student to leave the studio—finished sneakers in hand.

yvnnema@gmail.com