From Freshman to Senior year, these almost high school graduates reflect on their 4 year long experience with the Pratt Young Scholars Program. Below, high school seniors express how the program made them feel, what it taught them, and how they will use what they learned for the future.
Joshua Luna, senior
The Pratt Young Scholars (PYS) program supported me in more ways than one. Throughout the three years of being in the program I was able to meet wonderful professors and students alike who all made the experience better. The PYS program helped strengthen my passion for art while teaching me new techniques and how to use different materials that were new to me. We would use these materials on a weekly basis learning new techniques to draw models or objects. It made me look at things in a different way such as looking at shadows and making shapes out of them to draw people or objects. Not only this but we were given support from college advisors throughout the 3 years. They would teach us what to expect as we enter college, how to apply to college, and useful tips when it comes to asking for support.
I applied to the Pratt Young Scholars program in freshman year because it was brought up to me by my architecture teacher, Mr. Geringer. I decided to apply to take advantage of the program since I wanted to do art in the future, but I didn’t know what exactly to do. I also wasn’t a part of any after school programs and decided that being a part of P.Y.S. would’ve been a good idea.
When leaving the program, I felt disappointed. I felt disappointed because I wasn’t able to truly experience the program at its fullest. We were cut off half way during our first year and from then to the end of the program we spent it inside our houses behind computer screens. I was glad to see the other students once more during graduation because it was the first time in almost 3 years that I’ve seen them. My thoughts were all over the place because I was happy to see everyone but upset because it was all coming to an end without getting a full experience.
I learned a lot of new techniques such as how to exaggerate a pose and create a figure with random lines. When drawing a figure I learned how to draw a model from scribbles and loops. I was able to draw out a person’s stance with simple drawing techniques. It made me think about drawing people in a different way. Rather than looking at a person’s outline, I look at the shapes the body makes. The program also helped me compose photos and videos differently based on the lighting and how it adds meaning to it. The program taught me a lot which helped as well with outside projects I was working on. It helped me to open my eyes to new techniques that I was able to apply outside the program.
Xochitl Rodriguez, senior
During my three years at Pratt Young Scholars, I learned a lot. Not only about art but also about the college experience, such as financial aid, grants, TAP, ways to manage mental health and save money. They would go a lot more in depth and mention small details that we might miss on forms. What I am most proud of is that through my experience at Pratt, I learned how to draw the human figure, which was something I always struggled with. It was actually a lot easier than I thought. Something so simple that I probably still would’ve had difficulty with if not for P.Y.S. During freshman year was when I first heard of the program. Mr. Geringer, my architecture teacher, was the one who sort of convinced me to do it. But also because coming out of middle school made me realize I wanted to improve more and this was a good opportunity to do so. Looking through my old art, I wasn’t satisfied with little sketches, I wanted to make something bigger. Though I’m not at that point yet, I am happier with what I can create. Leaving P.Y.S. felt unreal especially after the pandemic, I hadn’t seen these people in almost two years. Only through a screen I remember what they looked like, but when we had the graduation ceremony in person, it finally hit me that I was leaving all of them behind. After years of a weekly routine of heading to class, it feels empty not having anything to do on a Wednesday or Saturday. Though I didn’t like the online part of classes, I still miss listening to all the voices and our class playlist, and a purpose to move my hand outside of school.
