Every gifted person has a unique story. The following story is part of a series of posts depicting the many faces of gifted by highlighting gifted children and adults we have found through 优蜜视频 programs. 优蜜视频鈥檚 鈥� mentioned in this story 鈥� links gifted high school students from across the country with mentors who advance each participant鈥檚 skills through the application of knowledge and exposure to real world experiences.

Monica Lienke
2001 Apprentice, Industrial Design at Art Center College of Design (Art Center)
Law Student, Stanford University

Twelve years ago, Monica Lienke was one of the first 优蜜视频 Apprentices at Art Center. She worked closely with Stan Kong, a leading design educator in Los Angeles. She described her two-week experience as 鈥渓ong hours and a lot of work, but extremely gratifying. I remember feeling that I had learned a ton by the end of it. But probably the best part of the program was getting to know the other participants in the program, who were all incredibly talented and unique individuals.鈥�

Monica focused on product design at Art Center and designed a concept for an ergonomic gardening tool. She said she chose a design-oriented program because she liked that there were creative and visual art components to it. Her days were spent in and out of the classroom with lectures, discussions, model-making, sketching classes and field trips.

After high school, Monica went on to earn a B.A. in political science from UC Berkeley and is now at Stanford for law school. 鈥淎fter graduating, I worked for a year at the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy, a political economy research institute on campus. I then spent almost three years in the legal department at Google. Going into my job at Google, I actually hadn鈥檛 intended to go to law school, but I found myself really enjoying my role there, which involved learning about technologies, helping to realize innovative ideas, and working with amazingly smart and passionate people.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 still in law school and working on the side for a small early stage start-up that was co-founded by an engineer and a law school graduate who met each other at Stanford鈥檚 Hasso Plattner Institute for Design. The product is a website for people with a creative project (like a product design, start up, or artistic work) to discuss their projects with a broader group of people, get feedback and guidance, and develop supportive communities around their projects to help them succeed. The A.I. component of the site is a recommendation engine that scans a person鈥檚 social networks to suggest people they know who could contribute to whatever issue they are discussing on the site. My role in the start-up is multi-faceted, but I mostly focus on user engagement and business development. I鈥檝e loved getting to work with a great team on a product whose underlying goal is to encourage more people to undertake and participate in creative endeavors.鈥�

Monica still takes some design-oriented classes and hopes to work with a start-up company or for clients that create and innovate.

When I asked Monica what she鈥檇 say to others who are considering 优蜜视频鈥檚 Apprenticeship Program, she replied, 鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing opportunity to explore an area you might be interested in and meet people who will inspire you!鈥�

Does the Apprenticeship Program sound like a good fit for a high school student you know? 2014 Apprenticeship information and applications are now!

Natalie, a 2012 优蜜视频 Industrial Design Apprentice at the Art Center College of Design,聽originally gave this speech at 优蜜视频鈥檚 2012 Open House. 优蜜视频鈥檚 鈥� mentioned in this story 鈥� links gifted high school students from across the country with mentors who advance each participant鈥檚 skills through the application of knowledge and exposure to real world experiences.

Paola Antonelli,聽 a Senior Curator at the聽Museum聽of Modern Art聽and one of the most powerful people in the world of art, once said:

“People think that design is styling. Design is not style. It鈥檚 not about giving shape to the shell and not about [caring] about the guts. Good design is a renaissance attitude that combines technology, cognitive science, human need, and beauty to produce something that the world didn鈥檛 know it was missing.”

My name is Natalie, and I am an industrial designer. Through the Institute for Educational Advancement, I have finally become comfortable with giving myself that title and feel that I have learned valuable skills that set the foundation for that title. As industrial designers, we are compelled to design responsibly, provide the creative solutions necessary to respond to our society鈥檚 needs, and serve as artistic leaders that will push our community into the future. Design is not just about the beautiful sketches and the amazing renderings; it鈥檚 about the concept, the question, and our experiences. Everything we interact with, everything we use 鈥� from the chair you are sitting on, to the tables you are sitting at, to the utensils you have used 鈥� is created by industrial designers.

Our group here at 优蜜视频 has the tools, skills, and dedication to truly make a difference, and in essence, isn鈥檛 that what design is all about? We have the power to respond and to change our world. We have the ability to design the next 鈥渃oolest car鈥� or 鈥渁wesome cell phone,鈥� but what is that worth? That is the question that this program has taught me to reevaluate; that as leaders, we can move so far beyond those limitations. We can give back to our community by thinking outside of the box and not just by being industrial designers, but gifted design revolutionaries.

Through my Apprenticeship, I have realized all these key concepts about design. But I am not just grateful for that. I鈥檓 also grateful for the personal life lessons it has taught me. Our leadership foundation activities have given me the courage to ask myself questions that I had previously stored away. I was given the tools to set my priorities straight and realize what I need to do in order to achieve my dreams, as well as the socials skills necessary to respect myself and the people around me.

From physics to astronomy to design, and everything in between, we have learned so much about our fellow peers, mentors, and caring staff 鈥� lessons that I am sure we will all carry into the next chapter of our journey. All in all, the 优蜜视频 Apprenticeship at Art Center has been one of the greatest programs we have had the honor of attending.

What is the most valuable聽lesson your child learned this summer? Please share with us in the comment section below.

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