Academy Updates - June '24

Happy summer to all from Loop Lab Academy! We are eager to start our summer season and have some exciting updates to share. Classes have begun at our Downtown Boston location and our high school program will be leading a summer enrichment program at the Cambridge Public Library. We have spent most of the last quarter preparing for these courses, including the 7th iteration of our Media Arts Apprenticeship, which started on June 17.

Cohort 7 learns how to properly set up lights during their first week

We have finished the admissions process for our Media Arts Apprenticeship this quarter and have identified ten (that’s right! 10!) young adults to be a part of this course. This is the largest class we have ever supported, and we are fully equipped for this holistic course to finally sport a double-digit roster size. Our admissions process is thorough, and we embody two principles – both needs and opportunity-based admissions. We look for candidates who both need this program (based on what they have and have not had access to in the past), and candidates who would take advantage of this opportunity (based on past performances, but more importantly, potential). Through the 3-month admissions process, we have admitted the following individuals into the 7th cohort of the Media Arts Apprenticeship at The Loop Lab:

The program recently kicked off on June 17th and will go on for a year. The training, where we cover audio, video and photo production among other skills, will end in December. This is an intense program to be a part of as we cover skills and strategies that it takes most media professionals years to learn in only a few months. But based on our admissions process, we have identified a group that can thrive in this program.

Soti Levy (L) and Matt Feener (R) conduct a media exercise for the new cohort during orientation

Our high school program will be leading a 6-week enrichment program in partnership with the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP) in Cambridge. This course will be held at the Cambridge Public Library in their maker space – otherwise known as The HIVE. This is a class that we have offered for the past few summers, and we are confident in the quality and its success. This year, we anticipate the class having 15 young people, which is also the largest we have ever offered this course for.

Soti Levy, Assistant Instructor and MAA alum

More exciting news about this enriching course is about who will be teaching it! This program will be led by Matt Feener (our full-time high school instructor) and a notable alum from cohort 6 of the Media Arts Apprenticeship – Soti Levy! We are excited for what Soti will bring to the classroom, and how she will leave her own footprint on our academy program. She completed the rigorous Media Arts Apprenticeship and her fellowship by doing Pro A/V work at Tufts University, working mostly in their technology services department. She has done tremendously well in her assistant instructor training thus far, and the class will take place from July 1 to August 8. This course will be highlighted by a final showcase at the end of the summer with many of the other work sites in Cambridge, and that will be August 5th at the Cambridge Public Library. We invite you to join us to celebrate the accomplishments of our team and the class!

The Loop Lab Academy is fully prepared and looking forward to a busy summer. We cannot wait to see the creativity that comes from all these programs, and the growth that will ensue for the participants and our staff.