Ever since the age of five, Ryan's been making unique creations. In his Academy Rapid Visualization course, he transformed a vintage perfume bottle into a flint lighter. Read how his creations are inspired by mechanical, authentic and vintage objects...

Tell me a little bit about your journey to the Academy?  
I’ve been making things since I was five and starting businesses since the third grade, so a curriculum that fosters creative thinking and entrepreneurship with a huge emphasis on hands on learning was naturally very appealing to me. When applying to colleges, I knew I wanted to do a combination of business and design. No other school really had anything that meshed them together. The Academy is such a unique mix of my interests with other things I never thought I’d be exposed to, and I think that is really beneficial. 

Describe a passion project you’re currently working?  
For Rapid Visualization last semester, I made the first version of an idea that I've had for a while now. I took a vintage perfume bottle and turned it into an old school, upscale flint lighter. I've never seen a glass lighter, and I thought the old perfume bottles would make a super cool body to build off of with the added design aesthetic of being able to see the wick and fuel. I have since bought some more vintage bottles of all different sizes and styles and am planning on building some more when I find the time. 

What inspired the project? 
My love for mechanical, authentic objects and my interest in vintage lighters. 

Is there a leader or mentor who inspires you?  
Jimmy Diresta 

What are three goals you have this year?  

Be able to understand and describe the value I bring to a team

What is one thing your parents taught you that you’d like to share?  
Stay true to who you are, be humble, and take life seriously but not too seriously. 

What are the essential things you always keep in your backpack? 
Hiking Backpack:  
Water filter, Survival kit, First aid kit  
Normal Backpack:  
Pencils, Computer, Notebooks, Headphones, Pens  

Favorite app or website?  
YouTube, hands down. 

Favorite class at USC and why?  
Rapid Visualization because I really like the professor, and I have always wanted to learn to draw and now I am. 

Favorite way to de-stress:  
Watch The Office, hang out with friends, play Spikeball.  

Guilty Pleasure? 
Chips and hummus.  

FRESH Encounters: Ryan Antenucci