Summer in the City: PreCollege Scholars Experience Life at Pratt

Devon is a senior at the High School for Youth and Community Development, a CollegeBound Initiative partner school.

Originally published by Pratt Institute on September 22, 2025

The 2025 recipients of The Black Alumni of Pratt (BAP) PreCollege scholarships deepened their creative skills and expanded their community in the city.

Campus bustled with energy this July as Pratt’s annual PreCollege Summer program welcomed a new cohort of talented high school students to its Brooklyn campus for a unique creative experience. For four weeks, accepted students leveled up their knowledge of fine art, animation, design, and more, leaving the program with expanded portfolios of work. Taught by Pratt’s world-class faculty, students took courses with peers from down the block and around the world, making new friends and learning from one another along the way.

Each year, The Black Alumni of Pratt (BAP) provides a number of full-ride scholarships for Black and Latinx students based in New York State to attend Pratt’s PreCollege program. Many scholarship recipients have gone on to attend Pratt or other art and design colleges. This year, BAP Scholarships were awarded to Devon Antwi, Sienna Perez, and Simone Davis Vasquez, who were selected based on the strength of their creative portfolios. All PreCollege students enroll in two classes of their choice; Antwi and Perez both chose 2D Animation and Foundation, while Vasquez took Painting and Drawing and Sculpture. support for the union.

Artistic and Professional Training

Pratt’s PreCollege program prepares high school students ages 15-18 for the possibilities and rigor of higher education. Perez and Vasquez both joined the program because they wanted to get a sense of what college would be like, while pursuing their passion for art. Students also learn about the practicalities of careers in their chosen fields, such as the types of professional opportunities available in the animation industry today.