Loyola College of Music and Media Receives Funding to Support the Creative Summer Experience

The Loyola University New Orleans College of Music and Media has received a $10,000 grant from The Helis Foundation to support the Creative Summer Experience, a comprehensive boot camp that exposes high school students to careers in motion design, graphic design, book arts, photography, game design, film, theater, and music.

Rising 9th-12th grade high school students will leave the camp with valuable, resume-worthy experiences and projects for their portfolios to enhance their college applications. All classes in the program are taught by faculty from Loyola's College of Music and Media in the specialized creative spaces for each major. Applications are now open for the 2025 program. Students can enroll in one or both of the following week-long camps:

• Week 1: June 16, 2025 - June 20, 2025
• Week 2: June 23, 2025 - June 27, 2025

Funding from The Helis Foundation will support recruitment, scholarships, and compensation for the faculty and students who facilitate the program, with the goal to double attendance in 2025 and increase scholarship access to serve a more diverse group of students in the region.

Since its inception in 2018, the Creative Summer Experience has welcomed over 150 high school students from 25 different schools. The program accepts all applicants, regardless of their financial background, and provides funding for all students who need financial assistance. So far for the 2025 program year, Loyola has been able to award 22 scholarships to students in the Greater New Orleans region.

The Creative Summer Experience also provides professional experience to Loyola students, who are employed as counselors and teaching assistants. Students undergo training the week before camp where they learn to design curricula, prepare classroom spaces for creative activities, and develop an understanding of group dynamics and collaboration. The college-level students working at the camp help foster a stronger connection between the high school students and the college instructors.

For more information and registration instructions, please visit the College of Music and Media's website or email scdexperience@loyno.edu for individual questions.