More than 500 talented artists from the El Paso region, including students from the Socorro Independent School District, showcased their artwork for representatives from 28 colleges and universities across the United States, and even as far as Glasgow, Scotland, Oct. 27 at Sun City Portfolio Day.
Students like Sara Ochoa arrived with portfolios in hand, eager to share their work and connect with representatives from prestigious art programs.
Ochoa, an Americas High School senior, was thrilled to present her artwork to representatives from the University of Michigan and the University of Texas at Austin right here at home. She emphasized that without this event, she would not have been able to visit those universities.
“I came to talk to colleges, trying to figure out if I can maybe get a scholarship in one, and just to see like how good the college is,” Ochoa said.
Sun City Portfolio Day is a collaborative effort involving the Socorro, El Paso, and Ysleta school districts, along with El Paso Community College. The event promotes artistic talent in the region, allowing high school and EPCC students to present their art portfolios to colleges and universities from across the U.S. Participants not only gain valuable feedback but also learn about the admissions process and may receive scholarship offers right on the spot.
While the event usually takes place in January at EPCC's Administrative Services Center, this fall it was relocated to the SISD Student Activities Complex (SAC) II to accommodate the growing attendance.
“We have been doing this for about seven or eight years, and we started off with only three colleges and maybe 30 kids, and now we're up to 28 colleges and over 520 kids,” said Candace Printz, SISD Fine Arts assistant director.
For Anthony Ellis, a senior at Eastlake High School, Sun City Portfolio Day was a chance to further his career as a fashion designer by pursuing a college degree. He launched a clothing line last year and attended the event to explore what different colleges had to offer for aspiring entrepreneurs like himself.
“I think with this college stuff, like they're just going to help us perfect our craft and then hopefully make it a worldwide business,” Ellis said.