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By Mariana Seda
Every summer, the college’s High School Summer Intensive brings together a select group of high school students from across the country to explore the arts. This weeklong, immersive program offers students the opportunity to work directly with U of I faculty to hone skills in theatre, dance, design, and artmaking. Along with professional training, the program gives students a real-world experience of what it is like to study at the College of Fine and Applied Arts at a world-class university.
In addition to daily classes in their designated track, students also have the opportunity to work with faculty one on one for portfolio feedback and audition preparation, setting them up for a more successful college application process. For some, the Summer Intensive is their first chance to practice being independently responsible while in a safe and supervised environment.
Tessa Olson (BFA ’25)
For dance alum Tessa Olson (BFA ’25), the High School Summer Intensive was the start of a powerful journey towards a professional career as an artist.
“My journey with Dance at Illinois started before I was even a student. I went to the High School Summer Intensive the summer after my sophomore year in 2018. My high school dance teacher, who’s an alum, offered me a scholarship, and I thought, ‘Why not? It’s only a week. I’ll try this.’ It was my first sleepaway experience. I didn’t really have expectations; I just knew I was going to dance.
“That week opened my eyes to so many kinds of people and dance styles. I took hip-hop formally for the first time and got called out to dance a combination in front of everyone. I remember how confident that made me feel, and how excited I was to finally get to explore different ways of moving my body. I also worked on a modern dance piece by another Dance alum Raheim White (BFA ’11) and that was one of the first times I felt like I could express myself in a more sensual, autonomous way. It cemented that dance was something I really wanted to do.
“When I started looking at colleges, the dance program at the U of I stood out because I felt like I’d get individual attention and be challenged, and I knew I’d be accepted as myself. That gave me the courage to choose a big public university, even though that wasn’t where I initially thought I would end up.
“Coming back as a counselor for the Summer Intensive in 2024 was a full circle moment. Sharing my experience as a queer artist pursuing dance seriously and professionally was empowering, and it was awesome to see the high schoolers open up about their identities and see themselves in ways that maybe they hadn’t before. I hope this program continues to thrive, and I really hope more students are offered scholarships so they can have the same opportunity I had.”
