Amid the serenity of the library, tiny, intricately folded paper cranes peek their colorful heads out from between the bookshelves. The delicate folds and small, inspirational messages printed across the wings quietly advertise U-High’s newest form of stress management: origami.
The Origami Club was founded by sophomores Lyla Ruiz de Luzuriaga and James Yu with the goal of relieving stress through the craft. The club meets during lunch on Mondays in the library classroom and has become a space for students to connect and grow their origami skills.
Overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic and the difficulties of online learning, Lyla sought a way to relax through origami.
“Sixth grade was the time when we were really online and it helped me. I was really stressed during COVID, so it helped me relieve some of that stress,” she said.
Realizing that her struggles were shared by other students, Lyla realized the U-High community could also benefit from an art-based activity.
“Lab is a very stressful place,” Lyla said. “We’re always worried about extracurriculars and academics, and I wanted to share another way for people to feel that kind of calm by doing art.”
Lyla and Jimmy had observed each other making origami during their shared classes and bonded over their shared Asian identity, leading them to found the club together.
“Both of us would always do origami in class, we both noticed that each other really liked origami and we wanted to share that with other people,” Lyla said. “Another part of it was our shared cultural experience because it’s connected to AAPI.”
Currently, most Origami Club members are sophomores, but Lyla hopes to expand the club’s reach through advertising, such as the origami cranes displayed in the library.
“We advertise for our club with signs around the school,” Lyla said. “What I like to do is place origami around the school a little bit — it’s that cool thing that everyone can see.”
Sophomore Zach McKnight, a member of the club, had a passion for origami before the club started and attends meetings to reconnect with his interest.
“My goal was to rekindle my love for origami since I haven’t done it in a really long time,” he said. “I think it’s partially because school has gotten more difficult, but with this club I’ll have a lot more time to do it.”
For Zach, the concept of creating something out of nothing ignited his interest in origami.
Similarly, sophomore Giovanni Nicolai was introduced to the club through his friendship with the founders. Watching his close friends create origami inspired him to try as well.
“I’ve known Jimmy for a while and I know he’s really good at origami, so I wanted to know how he does it,” he said.
Despite the bustle and pressure of a typical Monday, the Origami Club members focus on the delicate art of origami, folding paper into crisp creases as their stress fades away, replaced with the quiet satisfaction of creating something beautiful.
