She’s the girl with the colored hair and the Razor scooter, otherwise known as Mer Fenton.
Fenton became a legal adult in September, but despite her new title, she does not feel like much has changed. She has always been one to express individuality whether it was through her writing, fashion or art.
A lot has changed in the last month for Fenton and many other freshmen with the transition to college and newfound freedom. Although she is younger than most of her classmates, Fenton doesn’t feel they have ever treated her differently.
“As far as my friends go, I’m really appreciative that they've never treated me younger than them,” Fenton said. “I think that's important, because it's forced me to mature quicker than I may have naturally done.”
According to Fenton, the decision to attend a small Christian college in rural Indiana has compelled her to grow in other ways as well. Having grown up in Columbus, Ohio, Fenton said she felt more at home in a crowd, where her individual style went unnoticed.
Now that she is at Taylor, Fenton has gotten many comments from people about her style.
“Most people have been really positive, I’m just not used to all the attention,” she said. “You can get away with a lot in a city.”
Fenton strives to express her individuality in all aspects of her life despite people’s opinions, including her mode of transportation.
She is one of the few people on campus that has forgone the classic bike in favor of a Razor scooter.
“My mom made fun of me for getting a scooter, but I'm having the time of my life and people either enjoy it, or they don't,” Fenton said.
Now that she is on her own, Fenton has full freedom to express her individuality in anyway she chooses.
For Fenton this has always been writing in all forms, which has extended into all aspects of her life.
“I think legitimately, my love for writing, words and other people's stories has formed from that being a reliable outlet for me to be able to express myself through and understand myself better and process all of my thoughts,” Fenton said.
Fenton is currently pursuing a journalism major and a creative writing minor at Taylor and writes weekly for the Arts and Entertainment section of The Echo.
“I think art is really important, because it gives people a chance to express very unique experiences and stories and others a chance to respond to them,” she said.
Fenton’s passion lies in art because it is so emotional and is the way she expresses her emotions and connects to others. Art gives people a platform to explain life in another dimension that cannot be explained.
“You can use art as a way to distribute your ideas it to the world,” Fenton said. “If there's something you care about, you can share that experience.”
In high school, Fenton became interested in supporting local artists. Some of her favorites were photographers Gabrielle Barrera and Frances Weger. She gets frustrated when young women like these artists are distracted from their art because people made fun of them.
“I think that sort of art exploration is so important, because not only are the artists forming their skill, but they're forming what they care about,” she said.
Fenton wants everyone to support their own local artists, not to degrade them.
“Don't criticize that and support when you can do that too,” she said.
