Jennessa Martinez, a senior at Chicago’s Northside College Prep, and Cydney Kimmons, a senior at Jones College Prep, are preparing their portfolios to apply for college. Through a class at SAIC called Advanced Projects, they are fine-tuning their artist statements, refining their work for a group exhibition, and exploring different media and concepts to develop the kind of competitive portfolio that colleges seek.

Martinez and Kimmons are students in SAIC’s three-year College Arts Access Program (CAAP). Along with other select students from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) across the city, they spend part of their week taking intensive courses in SAIC’s Continuing Studies Early College Program, developing the creative and critical thinking skills necessary for success in college and in life.

Developed in partnership with CPS and supported by generous gifts from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation and The Grainger Foundation, CAAP requires a collegiate level of engagement that mirrors the values of SAIC’s degree programs: collaboration, experimentation, and interdisciplinary practice.

Scholarships cover the costs while mentors and advisors provide the support Martinez and Kimmons need to navigate the program and the college admissions process. With the help of CAAP, these young artists will become the leaders of tomorrow who shape our culture and our world with their Beautiful/Work.