Unveiling a unique and meticulous hobby, Ashlie DiCarlo (11) has taken the craft of suturing to new heights, weaving a tapestry of precision and passion. Armed with a suturing kit from Amazon, she navigates the subtle dance of needle and thread, creating not just stitches but a vessel of skills.

DiCarlo expressed her pride in openly discussing her suturing hobby, which began three years ago at a career fair where she learned the skill. Shortly after the event, she purchased a suturing kit to better her skills. For her, it is a means of relaxation where she can ease her mind.

“It’s just as great a way during the end of the week to unwind by suturing,” DiCarlo said.

According to DiCarlo, hobbies allow multiple advantages. One of them she highlighted was the possibility of a potential career. She expressed that her suturing skills initially started because they helped her unwind and could also assist in her future career goals.

“I want to be a neonatologist and pediatric oncologist, so suturing definity is part of those careers. The skills help me with steadiness and precision,” she explained.

Similarly, Noa Rauchholz (9) talked about the impact hobbies have on individuals and how her hobby could become a career.

Rauchholz shared her own hobby of making stickers. Usually she makes them for her friends and family, who show their support. Her love for drawing transformed once she started to make stickers out of her work. Though she doesn’t have the equipment, Rauchholz shared her method of making stickers.

She explained how she uses parchment paper to create her stickers. Using her own art as a way to design the stickers, she colors onto the paper then using tape she seals the stickers.

Rauchholz described how simple the process is, and using these methods, she said a sticker business wouldn’t be a bad idea. Using her skills as an opportunity to do what she enjoys while making profit is something she considers as a possibility.

That wasn’t the only advantage of having hobbies. According to Rauchholz, individuals can become better acquainted using these common interests.

“[Hobbies] are one of the major ways we spend time,” she said. “It can shape your character, how you see things, and your social circle because your friends most likely revolve around those hobbies.”

Lauren Kendrick (10) expanded on that idea with her experience in fencing.

“A lot of my close friends I’ve met through fencing, a lot of my friends end up joining fencing, and I have a lot of friends from Libertyville which I wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for fencing,” she said.

Kendrick meets people from schools outside of D128, allowing her to interact with different individuals. She expressed how expanding your social life helps in befriending other intriguing individuals with similar interests.

Overall, these individuals believe hobbies have great advantages for your growth as a person and hold importance.