Every year, the AIGA San Diego LINK programs takes a day trip to Los Angeles to expose students to a wider world.

The students, the LINK mentors and directors chartered a bus, and headed to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. While they took a tour of the campus, the LINK students noticed a lot of Art Center students frantically finishing up projects since it was finals week. They stopped by the gallery space to see Art Center student work and an Eames exhibit.

The students were impressed and almost overwhelmed,” reports LINK Director Karen Morrison. “It was a trip of expanding horizons.”

The students then met with Stefan Bucher, principal of 344 Design.

“It was amazing,” says Karen. “He asked all the LINK students to sketch 20 things in their sketchbook and during that time he spoke with each student and reviewed work that they had brought. He talked to them about techniques, their future and things to work on.”

LINK is an AIGA San Diego program that connects teens in need with artists and creative professionals, encouraging expression, creativity and self-esteem through innovative workshops and educational scholarships. LINK is made possible through the generosity of the The Richard and Jean Coyne Family Foundation in an effort to increase diversity in the field of visual communications. Last year, over $5,000 in college scholarships was awarded to deserving graduating students in the AIGA San Diego LINK program.