Artists from Marvel, Pixar, and Sony Animation can now directly engage with local Philadelphia high school students, thanks to a student-founded arts mentorship program rooted in West Philly.
Winners of the 2025 President’s Engagement Prize, Ejun Mary Hong and Jack Nicholas Roney of the College of Arts & Sciences at Penn, are expanding the Netter Center’s Participatory Art Action Mentorship Program (PAAM) into the Project for Inspiring eXpression, Education, and Leadership (PIXEL).
This comprehensive effort is designed to build bridges between creative industries and under-resourced public high school students in the greater Philadelphia area; these connections enable students to learn skills in artmaking software, gain hands-on experience with various mediums and methods, present their artwork at local exhibitions and sales, and connect with industry experts to explore career opportunities.
“We’ve been creating artwork that tells stories not often heard in the media,” said Hong. “We recognize the importance of creating a space for these students to share their stories—and providing an opportunity for their stories to be heard.”
“Long term, I think that Ejun and Jack and the PIXEL project will help establish a model of university-assisted art mentorship in K-12 schools,” added PIXEL team mentor Jarrett Stein, UACS director of health partnerships and social ventures at the Netter Center. “Witnessing the high school students discover their own artistic interests by participating in PAAM, and then be so excited about sharing what they’ve created, has been incredibly rewarding.”