Creative Career Day
at Neighborhood Youth Achievers
Throughout the 2023–24 school year, artworxLA students that are interested in continuing to explore their creativity outside of the regular school day participate in our Advanced Programs. artworxLA builds an extensive network of meaningful partnerships with local studios, companies, educational institutions, and arts professionals. The result is an incredible year of after-school programming: high school internships in apparel design and illustration, field trips to relevant post-secondary institutions and creative businesses, essential career and life skills classes, and more.
On March 12, artworxLA partnered with Neighborhood Youth Achievers, a nonprofit organization dedicated and committed to developing character, improving academic performance, enhancing citizenship, promoting volunteerism, and encouraging the pursuit of professional and personal development for youth and young adults in the Watts community of Los Angeles, California. Our joint Creative Career Day provided free professional headshots for youth and offered a live panel featuring an incredible roster of creatives that reflect the diversity of our student populations.
Meet the panelists.
This year, artworxLA alumni Camoni and Samantha moderated a panel of four incredible creatives currently working in Los Angeles. Click the names of each panelist below to discover more about the artists currently inspiring our youth.
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Estevan Oriol
LEGENDARY PHOTOGRAPHER
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Johnny Valencia
OWNER
PECHUGA VINTAGE -
Rachel Regalado
MUSEUM EDUCATOR
HAMMER MUSEUM AT UCLA -
Tracy Enayah
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Partner spotlight:
Neighborhood Youth Achievers
NYA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated and committed to developing character, improving academic performance, enhancing citizenship, promoting volunteerism, and encouraging the pursuit of professional and personal development for youth and young adults in the Watts community of Los Angeles, California.
NYA is unique in that it is designed for young men and women willing to try something different and who believe that their own self expression is their greatest gift. In turn, individuals will be expected to give back what they have received by becoming active members of their future college
campuses, trade schools, professions, and community.
Thank you to the amazing staff at Neighborhood Youth Achievers for hosting artworxLA’s 2024 Creative Career Day!
Roll call!
artworxLA is grateful to Caroline Ashkar, photographer and former Creative Pathways Specialist, for photographing headshots of all attendees. Caroline spent several years building close relationships with Advanced Programs students, assisting with their Creative Career Skills workshops and helping them apply to summer scholarships and higher education opportunities. We love seeing her connections with each of them through every smile below!
Alumnus and panel moderator Camoni
Alumnus and panel moderator Samantha
Student Anthony
Student Arani
Student Isaak
Alumnus Justin
Alumnus Justin poses with Youth Development Specialist Carlos Gacharná.
Students work on a collaborative mural project.
Alumnus Samantha moderates panelists Johnny Valencia, Tracy Enayah, Rachel Relegado, and Estevan Oriol.
Panelist Johnny Valencia, owner of Pechuga Vintage, discusses his career.
Students work on their collaborative mural project.
ADVP students Arani, Anthony, Alejandra, Desteny, and Sarah listen to our panelists discuss careers in the arts.
artworxLA alumnus Justin asks a question.
ADVP student Arani poses with panelist and legendary photographer Estevan Oriol.
How did we get here?
Scroll through the workshop descriptions below to see examples of the incredible opportunities we designed for our 2023–24 Advanced Programs students and alumni.
Career Skills workshops -
Career Skills workshops -
November 30
What are creative careers?
artworxLA Virtual
artworxLA Youth Development Specialist Carlos Gacharná and Creative Pathways Specialist Caroline Ashkar introduce themselves as artists and lead students on a conversation on the ways artists make a living, selling products or providing services. We then use Mindmeister to create a collaborative virtual map of as many creative careers as we can come up with.
December 7
virtual artist panel
artworxLA Virtual
Our first virtual artist panel of the season. Virtual panels expose ADVP students to young creatives with attainable career paths. We help them formulate questions for panelists ahead of time and encourage active Zoom etiquette to build networking skills. In this case, we featured Maya Thompson, our Special Academy Liaison and fashion designer; The Artist Dom, a painter; and Creative Director Katie Dill.
January 18-25
Résumé Building
artworxLA Virtual
artworxLA staff teach participants how to build a résumé with limited work experience (high school students) and walk participants through defining and owning their own experiences and speaking about them. The following week, participants learn how to put experiences down into a résumé template, learning the format and language, and meet with individual mentors to complete a one-page résumé.
February 15
Application + Personal STatement
artworxLA Virtual
Participants take dream building and goal setting exercises and apply them to developing their own story/statement that could be used in mock applications for scholarship opportunities, college applications, and more.
March 19 - April 4
Financial Education
artworxLA Virtual
This four-part workshop series was hosted by artworxLA supporter US Bank and included the following:
Setting Goals and Making Financial Decisions: Participants learn the foundation of money management, including how to set SMART financial goals, identify money values, and explore our internal and external influences on money decisions.
Developing a Saving and Spending Plan: Students define what is savings, explore where and ways to save, and create a saving & spending plan (budget) that works for them.
Building Your Credit History: Students learn why credit wellness is important, learn where credit impacts your life, and explore ways to build and maintain healthy credit.
Borrowing Basics & Student Lending: Learn the basics of borrowing, what lenders look for in lending applications, and learn about types of student loans.
“I really really want to thank you. I wouldn’t be the person I am today or have the confidence in myself [without you]. y’all showed me anyone can do anything if you really want it.”
—artworxLA ADVP student Sarah, pictured right
