When I proudly announced to my third grade classmates that I would one day become a fashion designer, they were delighted. Years later, when I made the same announcement to my mother, she was mortified. Faced with the idea that her daughter might not become a doctor, she reminded me that any career in the arts would lead me down a sad road into debt. Though I still held onto my artistic dreams, my mother’s warnings led to doubts...

The environment and the...