TeenLife 2024 Guide to Summer Programs

By AMANDA RABADE
SCAD
I was getting more active in my school’s art club,
but I still felt like an outsider. I wanted a chance to
meet people that were more like me, and wanted
to pursue art seriously. Two weeks away from home
sounded really scary, but I knew it would allow me to
explore different avenues of art I didn’t have access
to at my high school. I enjoyed Summer Seminars
so much, I decided to participate in Rising Star the
following summer. Rising Star gave me the boost I
needed to propel me in my own creative direction.
Around the same time the following year, I was struggling
to decide if I wanted to do SCAD’s five-week
summer program, or Ringling’s five-week summer
program. I was leaning more towards Ringling, especially
since I had already spent one summer at SCAD.
I figured it would be best to explore another school
to make the most use out of my time. But then I
remembered how much fun I had the year prior, and
how many friends I had made from it. I loved SCAD
so much I couldn’t bear to miss out on another great
summer.
For Summer Seminars, I would have breakfast with all
of the girls in my hall. Then we would make our way to
the bus stop and go to our workshops. During lunch
time, our SSA would take us to different fun places
downtown before we headed off to our afternoon
workshops. And there was always something fun
happening in the evening, like a movie or silent disco.
Rising Star days were pretty similar, I would eat breakfast
with the other girls in my room before heading to
our first class. I’d eat lunch with friends and maybe go
shopping downtown before my afternoon class. Sometimes
my friends and I would splurge and get dinner
off campus for a little change of pace.
My favorite memory from Summer Seminars was from
my 3D animation workshop. I hadn’t been progressing
well in my 2D animation class so I didn’t feel really
good about that project by the end of the week. But I
felt so much joy when I was messing around in Maya
for the first time that all of my worries from my 2D
workshop completely disappeared. That moment was
the first step getting me into the career of my dreams.
One of my favorite memories at Rising Star was one of
the nights I was up late gossiping with my roommate
about the boys we had crushes on back home. I was a
very shy person in high school and it was always very
difficult for me to talk about my interests so I was very
grateful to have a roommate that was more outgoing
to help me out of my shell.
Don’t be scared! I know it’s scary leaving home for a
week, let alone five, but you won’t regret going. This
year marks the 6th summer since I attended my first
summer program, and I still talk to those girls and remember
all of the fun we had. I recommend Summer
Seminars if you’re a bit unsure about pursuing art as
a career. It’s much less of a commitment than Rising
Star but still just as fun filled. It’s a perfect opportunity
to put your feelers out there and find what really
speaks to you. Since enrolling at SCAD I've had the opportunity
to work as a pre-college assistant twice and
have loved that experience too!
2024 TEENLIFE GUIDE TO SUMMER PROGRAMS | 33