Every young person deserves the chance to see their potential clearly. But for too many Philadelphia high school students, access to creative education and industry mentorship is limited by circumstance—not talent.
The LensBright Initiative exists to change that, empowering under-resourced students to explore film and photography.
Created by winners of the 2025 President’s Engagement Prize, Ejun Mary Hong and Jack Nicholas Roney of the College of Arts & Sciences at Penn, LensBright is an expansion of the Netter Center’s Participatory Art Action Mentorship Program (PAAM).
This comprehensive effort is designed to build bridges between creative industries and under-resourced public high school students in the greater Philadelphia area by providing equipment, mentorship, educational resources, and creative opportunities in film and photography.
Hong and Roney sat down with their mentor, Justin Weldon of Sayre University-Assisted Community School, where the program first started three years ago). Together, they discussed creativity, community, and how Philly teens are shaping their futures through art.
“My biggest hope is for our students to become thriving, holistic adults,” said Weldon. And thanks to LensBright, they’re well on their way.
“I realized there’s so many students who love animation the way I do. I saw a spark in their eyes […] and the world deserves to know who they are and about their stories,” said Hong. “A lot of the things that we want to do is let them know what they are capable of and what is out there for them […] to learn who they could be and how they can use their skill sets.”
“Being able to express yourself in any way really gives you the opportunity and the feeling that you have agency,” added Roney. “Artists are generally at the forefront of changemaking. We really value trying to empower them to tell their own stories.”