A phone alarm sounds. It is vibrating her pillow, which drives her insane. She reaches tiredly to snooze the alarm just one more time.

After her once over in the mirror she heads out. The first song on her playlist is ‘We’ by Mac Miller. Starting her journey to NYCiSchool, she uses the train ride to catch up on missed sleep. This is what Jhanique’s mornings are like.

Jhanique Lovejoy Rochest is an intelligent, innovative sophomore at the iSchool. A few of her interests include painting, drawing, music and sleep.

“I love to sleep,” she said as she laughed “as weird as it sounds, I do. I don’t get that much sleep anymore so and I’m usually tired everyday so I just love to sleep.”

Jhanique keeps a busy schedule. In between her school work and personal life, she manages to fit in extra activities, like picking up a new instrument and furthering her art career.

“…this year I don’t have that many classes as I did last year and I get bored very easily so I forced myself to join the Jazz Ensemble and to join the art program at the CUE foundation”

Jhanique described how her program helps her view different perspectives and forms of art.

“In the program we go to different places to see different art galleries and learn different ways to do art… My own art tends to show women in a slightly more provocative light, because I think a woman’s body is something to be proud of.”

When asked why she enjoys art, she replied,“Art makes me feel like I can put whatever is happening in my brain on a page…plus it’s one thing i’m really good at for once in my life”

In addition to this, she was eager to explain that her art doesn’t stop at just her drawings or paintings. She described how her body is an extension of her canvas.

From the way she does her hair to the clothes she wears each day, “… it is somehow a protest to the inequality in American society, for women for black people and many more.”

Jhanique also jumped at the opportunity to talk about her family and culture. “For the holidays, my family likes to make jerk turkey, curry shrimp, bun and cheese and rum cake,because i’m Jamaican and we love that food,”giggling she added,“…I think I enjoy the food more than anything else.”