Talented Project Open Door Grads Earn Full Scholarships to RISD

Incoming first-year students Emerson Zumstein 28 EFS, Jaz Means 28 EFS, Luka Pruvost 28 EFS and Avari Escobar 28 EFS (pictured above, left to right) have a lot in common. They all grew up in Providence, attended local public schools and discovered their passion for fine arts through RISD’s Project Open Door (POD) program, which is run through the Teaching + Learning in Art + Design department and provides creative local teens with free classes and helps participating high school seniors manage college applications and develop their portfolios. Come September, they will join hundreds of other incoming first-year students in RISD’s Experimental and Foundation Studies program after earning full scholarships through POD’s Saturday Portfolio Program.

“I had no idea about the scholarship until recently,” says Zumstein, “but even if it didn’t exist, I’d be happy with my POD experience. It has made such a positive impact on me.”

POD means a lot to all of these teenagers, who describe the community as “family” and agree that getting involved was the best decision they ever made. “The community is my favorite part of the POD experience,” says Means. “Lauren [Allen, POD’s director] and Caitlin [Gomes, assistant director] really do care about us. That’s the secret ingredient.”

Escobar agrees and says the POD community helped them work through issues with social anxiety and mental health. “POD brought me out of my shell,” they say. “I feel so much love for this program. I feel like a new person.”

Means remembers a pivotal mentoring session with POD instructor and RISD alum Triton Mobley MFA 08 DM. “He gave us realistic advice about working in the arts,” he recalls, “and also first-hand insights about the whole ‘art is not a real job’ thing everyone throws at you. He helped us realize that art is just as viable a career path as any other.”

Means also appreciates how many different kinds of art he was exposed to as a POD student. “POD introduced me to mediums I had no idea about, like papermaking, which was super fun,” he says. “A few of the pieces I made in that class made it into my portfolio as well.”

Zumstein particularly loved meeting current RISD students, who have the opportunity to work as POD teaching assistants. “I also took a multimedia class with Graduate Teaching Artist Sylvia Rodriguez 23 IL/MA 24 TLAD,” she says. “You’re surrounded in POD by people who are interested in art and really want to learn, so it’s a great place to learn to teach. It was an amazing experience.”

Having joined POD as a senior, Zumstein missed out on the opportunity to attend RISD’s summer Pre-College program, an experience that her friends describe as intense but amazing. “I attended Pre-College in 2022 and got a full scholarship including supplies, which was great,” says Escobar. “That program solidified my interest in art, and a lot of great friendships came out of it. One of the friends I made is going to be my roommate at RISD next year!”

When it came time to apply to colleges, most of the schools this group was interested in were art schools—RISD but also Pratt, SVA and others. “Originally, I didn’t want to stay in state,” Escobar recalls. “I had been dreaming about moving to NYC since middle school. But there are so many benefits to attending RISD as a POD alum. Having that community behind you is so important.”

Pruvost agrees wholeheartedly. “When applying to POD, I didn’t know I would meet my best friends—family almost—and that my interest in art would turn into a passion,” he explains. “I started thinking about RISD when my family moved here from France years ago, but I didn’t really believe I could make it. I am forever grateful for POD and feel like I am living the American dream.” 

Simone Solondz
July 11, 2024