Pablo Durazo has been interested in art since he was in kindergarten.
Now several years later, the Nosotros Academy ninth grader is selling handmade holiday cards to earn money to buy gifts for his grandparents and give back to his school. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to the school’s beautification project and garden.
Though he hasn’t picked out any gifts for his grandparents yet, 15-year-old Pablo says the money will go toward “whatever they want.”
Some of Pablo’s cards involve many steps and are created with several origami-like folds glued to card stock. Some cards are topped with a thin bow on top. Others show off Pablo’s own drawings.
Durazo’s possible plans for the future include creating cards for other holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, and working with local businesses to potentially carry them.
The art supplies were donated by volunteer Anne Lowe, who also taught Pablo how to make the cards.
“I have to admit, though, I show him once how to do this and he takes right off,” Lowe says. “His brain picks it right up. We’ve talked a lot about muscle memory — once you’ve done it four or five times, he can talk to you without thinking about it.”
“The thing Pablo taught me is that he does not like to rush,” counselor Saul Ostroff says. “When he does something, he wants to do the best job possible. In this society, we’re so used to rushing. I’ve just learned to slow down and be more mindful about what I do. And I attribute that to Pablo’s work with Ms. Lowe.
“It’s neat when you can learn those things from your students.”
So far, Pablo has sold about 100 cards. And creating the cards has helped him in school, he says.
Pablo Durazo, 15, started a greeting card business called Unity Cards, which has an inclusive holiday outlook. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to Nosotros Academy’s beautification project and garden.
“They keep me active and doing something,” he says.
Pablo says he has learning disabilities that make reading and math difficult.
“They made a lot of things harder for me (in school),” he says, adding that he used to ditch class and not listen to teachers.
Since enrolling at Nosotros Academy at the end of September, Pablo’s grades and attendance are up.
Ostroff says the project has helped Pablo with math, as they’ve integrated things like figuring out percentages and the pricing of the cards. Ostroff says Pablo also handles all emails from potential customers, helping him build communication skills.
“It just seems like one positive thing helps with another — almost one spiral upward,” Ostroff says.
Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are all represented in Pablo’s holiday cards.
“It started with Dia de los Muertos,” Pablo says. “A book I was reading had different types of cultures. That inspired me to (include all holidays).”
“One holiday led to another,” Ostroff says.
His greeting-card business has since been dubbed Unity Cards, a name given by exceptional education coordinator Pam Smith.
Pablo Durazo
“I just saw the cards he had made for Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and Christmas and I just thought ‘Unity’ was a good theme,” Smith says. “It’s just a good theme to have for cards.”
Pablo now brings his cards with him wherever he goes — even selling some to Ostroff’s barber and on a recent trip to California.
Possible plans for the future include creating cards for other holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, and working with local businesses to potentially carry them. Ostroff says Lowe is also skilled in calligraphy, which could add another element to future cards.
Pablo, who says his favorite things to draw are skulls and roses, was also asked by assistant principal Jesus Perez if he wanted to create a mural of a rose in the school’s garden. That’ll probably happen when the holiday season comes to a close, Ostroff says.
As for a career after he finishes school, Pablo hopes to design his own brand of clothing and shoes.
“He’s amazing — I’m so proud of him,” Smith says. “He takes a lot of initiative.”
Pablo Durazo, a ninth grader at Nosotros Academy in Tucson, doesn’t like to hurry when crafting his holiday cards, some of which feature origami-like folds glued to card stock. “In this society, we’re so used to rushing,” says school counselor Saul Ostroff. “I’ve just learned to slow down and be more mindful about what I do. And I attribute that to Pablo’s work.”
