The Parsons Scholars Program blog has moved!

Please visit our new site at:

http://scholars.parsons.edu

And our blog at:

http://scholars.parsons.edu/blog

Class Cancelled Feb 9, 2013

Scholars: Class is cancelled for Saturday, Feb 9th, 2013, due to inclement weather.
We'll see you all next week!

Juniors! Fill out these two surveys!

This survey will help us plan next semester!   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFlkZlk2VllOa0VaZFNrd0xCQ0w4eWc6MQ

This survey will give us insight on what your experience was like in your class this semester!  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFFwNHUtcnlSQWY0ZTIzSDR1enFNY3c6MA

Juniors on National Portfolio Day

On NPD I showed my portfolio to several art and design colleges and got much feedback. My portfolio consisted of several illustrated pieces and much more mixed media art work like print-making and charcoal self portraits. The first school I went to was Pratt. They told me I should work on more large scales because my large self-portrait was great and that I should work with charcoal more because my contrast is pretty good. Parsons told me I was an illustrator and told me to work with more colors.   Otis College of Art and Design recommended that I work on more large scales because I am very good with it and my design is pretty amazing. Overall I learned that to build my portfolio I need more large scales, work with charcoal more and use more mediums like watercolor and acrylic paint. ---Richard Supriano

On National Portfolio Day I went to SUNY Purchase, Parsons, and Rhode Island School of Design. When I went to Purchase to get my work critiqued and reviewed the guy said that I needed to work on more things in graphic design since that is what I am interested in. For example I need to work in typography more and I need to focus on things that I am really interested in. Overall both the representatives from RISD and Otis said that I am in a good position in terms of having my portfolio ready for college since I am a junior in high school. --- Jaire Berkel

During my time at the NPD I was able to encounter a lot of colleges get my works of art critiqued and to learn what I needed to improve on. I met with a lot of schools such as Pratt, Parsons and SUNY Purchase. I was told that I should use other mediums such as watercolors or pastels because the majority of my work was done in acrylic paint.  I was also told that my portfolio should have other works of art I have done outside of school so I can show that art is not just something I do in class but something I enjoy doing. I got a lot of advice that I believe will better my art work and portfolio in the future. --- Nicole Peña

Senior Portfolio Workshop

On Saturday the Seniors had a portfolio workshop and set up the lights and cameras to photograph their great work. The Scholars published their photos on an online portfolio, so watch out for their work!

Go Pro Day

November 11, 2012

In preparation for National Portfolio Day, the Scholars brought in their portfolios full of amazing work done in the program, in school and on their own.  We critiqued everyone's work, and talked about how to prepare for Portfolio reviews when applying to college.

 Go-Pro day was a day when we critiqued everyone’s work and prepared for National Portfolio day. Part of the critiques were: how to take better care of your work, how to present your work and yourself, etc. Even though everybody took turns critiquing everybody else, everyone noticed everyone’s talents. Being able to critique the work of my peers and have my work being critiqued gave me a chance to realize that not everybody sees your work like you do. Something in your work might attract to you, but not attract somebody else. Participating in this workshop taught me a lot, not only about art, but about life too. When it was my turn to present my portfolio, I realized how important it was to organize my work and preserve it. It taught me how to love my work, even if I didn't like it, because others might.----Eilyn Gutierrez

College Vocabulary Workshop

On October 6th, 2012, Parsons Scholars’ students went to a college vocab workshop. In the beginning of the workshop, we made a list on our needs and wants for colleges/ universities. Many of us, did not now some of the college words/ terms such as the SEEK program, HEOP, EOP, and many others. It was a long, but worth a while time to learn things we didn’t know. It was a great experience learning other vocabs because I feel learning about these helps you become more prepared and ready for colleges/ universities applications. Overall, I thought this workshop was good, I learned many things about the application process from my mentors and peers.  

~Stephanie Li

Now recruiting 10th graders!

Parsons the New School for Design is pleased to invite 10^th graders who are interested in art and design to apply for an extraordinary pre-college scholarship opportunity in the Parsons Scholars Program.

All 10^th graders from NYC public schools who demonstrate financial need and who have expressed an interest in art or design and are in need of more opportunities in the field are eligible to apply.  
APPLICATIONS DUE SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25th.

If you are an educator, and are interested in having a representative from Parsons visit your school/program to speak with your students about these opportunities, please contact us to arrange an appointment: ParsonsScholars@newschool.edu

Application process:

1. Attend an Info Session
If you missed our info sessions, videos now available online:
Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
Fri 10/26, Wed 11/7, or Thurs 11/15 
(*See flyer above)

2. Fill out an information worksheet 
(for your reference only)

3. Fill out the online application 
(no paper applications accepted)

4. Submit essay via email

5. Submit letters of recommendation via email

6. Eligible applicants will be called for an interview, 
at which time they will show artwork samples and provide proof of income

Deadline: Sun, November 25th [UPDATED]

More info can be found on our website:
www.newschool.edu/parsons/design-scholarship

Eligibility:     

Current 10^th graders from NYC public high schools that demonstrate financial need and who are interested in going to college for visual art or design.

*Financial need is determined by the general guidelines outlined by the NYC Free + Reduced Lunch Program and the NY Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP).

Program:     

Students take a wide range of visual art and design courses at Parsons the New School for Design.  They will explore exciting art and design careers and college options, and will learn how to apply to the colleges of their choice, with a focus on art/design programs.         

Length: 

2.5 years, January 2013 through June 2015 on Saturdays and during summers

Cost:             

Free; full tuition to the Pre-College Academy and Summer Intensive Studies programs, materials, transportation, mentoring, advising, and 4 college credits (upon successful completion).   

*This is a college prep program and not a college scholarship

Application:     

An online application is required, listing activities, interests, and household income; An essay and letter of recommendation must be emailed; All eligible applicants will be interviewed and will be asked to submit proof of household income. Thank you for helping students secure online access.

Deadline:     

Sunday, November 25, 2012 [UPDATED]       

**Info session flyer designed by Parsons Scholar mentor and alum Richard Pean

INFO SESSIONS--- update!

The Parsons Scholars Program application deadline has been updated to:
Sunday, November 25th (end of the day)

For all 10th graders interested in applying to the Parsons Scholars Program, join us for an upcoming Info Session.  

For eligibility and application requirements, see our previous post below. 

PARSONS SCHOLARS PROGRAM
INFO SESSIONS:

Thursday, November 15
5-7pm
66 Fifth Avenue, room 603

*Info sessions will cover an overview of the program and application process, followed by a tour of Parsons and application support in a computer lab. 

For students who have already attended an Info Session and would like further application support or computer access, please attend an Application Open Workshop during one of these times.  Please come prepared to fill out your application by referring to the Info Sheet beforehand. 

APPLICATION OPEN WORKSHOPS:
Wednesday, November 14
4-6pm

Thursday, November 15
4-6pm


We hope everyone is well during the hurricane recovery, and we look forward to seeing you.

Photography Panel with Devon Morgan, Chris Miller and Lucia Rojas and collaborative photoshoot

October 27, 2012

Photographers Devon Morgan, Chris Miller and Lucia Rojas joined us to share their work and their experiences as freelance photographers and videographers in the worlds of fashion, documentary and skateboarding.  Then, the Scholars paired off with the photographers and mentors to do a workshop based on photography and youth representation.

Three spectacular photographers and videographers, Devon Morgan, Lucia Rojas and Chris Miller presented their work.  Devon Morgan is a freelance photographer that focuses on urban photography such as modeling, fashion and catalog photography. Morgan showed us most of his photography work as well as the catalog shoots he’s done for very famous companies. He describes that the process was very hectic but it’s worth the price if you love the exercise. Lucia Rojas focuses on Documentary Photography in South  America and the Amazon to document cultures and ways of life. Lucia opened our eyes to a side of the world that we did not know. She wanted to be a photographer despite the fact that her father wanted her to become a lawyer. Chris Miller is a videographer and has toured places such as South Africa filming for a skateboard group. Miller showed us how being a photographer can be very helpful in working with video. He has also conducted and videotaped many community projects. Each had their inspirational stories to share with us. Lucia Rojas shared a quote with us by Henri Cartier-Bresson “ It is through living that we discover ourselves and the world around us.” That quote was very inspirational not only for our everyday lives but the project we did afterwards.
        The workshop following the photography session was really nice because it tackled some of the major social issues that we experience in our everyday lives. Discrimination knows no boundaries, no race, religion or nationality. We shared our personal experiences of times that we faced discrimination and took pictures based on those experiences. We then made a collage of the pictures we took to create the time that we felt alone or misjudged. This experience was an eye opener because it really made us aware that other people around us had faced or is facing the same situations we are. We got to know each other on a deeper level and became more open with our experiences. –  Lashun Costor And Daneele Thorpe

After the freelance photography workshop, we did an exercise where we collaborated with the photographers.  We talked about how photography can be a reflection and a way of expressing the way things are seen. We talked about how photos can show different representations of people, and asked how we would want to be seen ourselves vs. how we are often seen by the public.  We talked about racial and gender discrimination, stereotypes and how we portray ourselves. We wrote reflections of how we’d been affected by our own experiences, and we told our stories and opened up to each other. Then we wrote about how we actually wanted people to see us as young people and as individuals. Then we went ahead and started discussing our stories with our smaller groups and the photographer that was working with us. We tried to think about how we could work together to portray both of theseexperiences in a photograph.

There are a lot of people that happen to be perceived in an unfair, stereotypical or discriminatory way.   It affects us in many different ways; it’s not what we really want to be seen as. It can break us mentally or physically, but what harm have we done looking the way we want to express ourselves?  “Never judge a book by its cover,” because inside every book, every mind, there’s something wonderful to look up to and cherish.

           “I had people look at me with disgust because of where I’m from.   What they don’t see is that it takes more than your race to distinguish what role we actually play. Those who bring you down are not superior to you. I can present myself as a well-educated teenage girl, but that doesn’t matter in the real world. People don’t consume you on how well you present yourself, but how they want to view you.” (Maria Bravo). “People think I’m into drugs and a problem starter. I try to pay no mind but they always end up starting to come at me with violence and saying things I would never want to hear. It feels horrible to be treated like this. What have I done... is it just because I dress in black? You think I’m a freak? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. You fall down, but always stand up in the end.“  (Amanda Franqui) If I were to be seen differently” I would love to be seen as a helpful person. Someone that is generous and picks up the pieces for those in need.” (Michael Ortega) It doesn’t matter where we come from. Nor what language we speak. We are all human no matter what. We shouldn’t be criticized for our ethnicity but who we are as an individual. <3 =) -- Amanda Franqui, Maria Bravo, and Michael Ortega