Brothers Balancing Academics, Athletics, and Creativity: Drake and Jaxon Kneeland

We are brothers, Drake and Jaxon Kneeland, student-athletes at Buchanan High School and first-year students at CART.

Buchanan High School has given us an incredible opportunity to compete at a high level while balancing our academics and athletics. As student-athletes, we’ve been fortunate to play Varsity Water Polo together. This week, we wrapped up our regular season with an 8-0 record, taking first place in the TRAC.

In addition to athletics, we are proud CART students, where we get to explore our career interests through hands-on learning and real-world projects that prepare us for the future.

Drake Kneeland – Senior, Graphic Design Lab
My name is Drake, and I am a senior in the Graphic Design Lab at CART. I joined this lab because I was interested in learning how to create designs using Adobe Illustrator. So far, I’ve learned how to use important tools like the Pen Tool, which is essential for building all kinds of digital artwork.

This week, my lab had the opportunity to virtually attend the Adobe MAX Conference. It was inspiring to hear from top Adobe creators about how they got into graphic design and turned their passion into a career.

This class has been both fun and interactive, teaching me how to use my imagination to create things I never thought I could make. I’m looking forward to the rest of the school year—continuing to learn new techniques and create more designs. Graphic design takes a lot of patience and time, but once you finish a project, it makes all the effort worth it.

Jaxon Kneeland – Junior, Digital Marketing Lab
My name is Jaxon, and I am a junior in the Digital Marketing Lab at CART. I was excited to take Marketing this year because I’m interested in how businesses connect with people through creativity and communication.

My experience so far has been exciting and full of new challenges. I’ve started learning about market research and consumer behavior, and I’m looking forward to diving deeper into social media strategy, target markets, campaign planning, branding, and analytics as the school year continues.

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Being student-athletes at Buchanan has taught us dedication, teamwork, and perseverance—qualities that help us both in sports and in the classroom.

We love CART because it gives us the chance to explore our passions in creative and professional ways. We would definitely recommend CART to any student who wants to gain hands-on experience in a field they’re interested in, work with great teachers, and prepare for their future career while still in high school.

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