Wesley has applied to attend Academy of Art Summer Pre-College Art Experience this summer and is raising funds for his program fees. Can you help?
Wesley
Wesley
Interest:
Fine Arts
Grade:
11th
School:
KIPP King Collegiate High School
Location:
San Lorenzo, CA
Successfully funded on April 19th, 2015!
Fully funded!
$778 raised
$0 to go
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Wesley
Wesley's Story

My passion is photography.

My passion for photography started during my Freshman year of high school with Instagram. I noticed that some of my friends took really cool photos, and it was easy to distinguish the good Instagram photographers and the bad ones. After reaching out to these friends, they told me about an app called VSCOCam where you can edit your pictures with many unique presets. With this new toy and my passion to take better photos, I started to take photos everywhere I went.

During the beginning of my junior year, one of my close friends started to get into professional photography. He took a lot of amazing photos and drastically improved in a short span of time. Eventually, he convinced me to further my passion by getting a DSLR. I've literally brought this camera everywhere and have spent my free time looking up YouTube tutorials to learn how to improve my photos. My passion for photography has grown from an Instagramming curiosity to my biggest hobby.

By attending the Academy of Art Summer Pre-College Art Experience, I will expand my horizons on photography. Up to this point, most of my knowledge on photography has been from friends’ experiences or from self-teaching via YouTube. My passion for photography has motivated me to learn on my own, but I want to also learn about photography in a more institutionalized way. I want to learn and master the proper techniques needed to take certain pictures so that I can push myself to continue to improve my photography.

Kellan
A Note from Mr. McNulty, Wesley's Teacher

"Every once in a while, a student comes along that really touches you in a deep way. A student that you are wholeheartedly rooting for because they have such a good heart and are so hard working. Wesley Ruan is one of those students, and I think he is a great applicant for the Wishbone program.

Wesley is very passionate about technology and photography. You could always see Wesley around campus with his camera around his neck taking photographs at every school event. He used to spend hours taking pictures on his phone and editing them with software he found on the internet. Once he got his hands on a DSLR, he became even more passionate about it. Wesley is OBSESSED with photography, and that means that he is going to work incredibly hard at it."

Campaign Activity
Wesley
Wesley posted an update
August 10
Academy of Arts Experience

Woooooo! I just finished my program at Academy of Arts and it's definitely been an amazing learning experience for me. It was awesome to study the works of many different photographers around the world and to find out why they are as successful as they are. I was also able to build a foundation on the skills that I already slightly knew, and this program helped me feel a lot more confident as a photographer. I now understand lighting a lot better, and I learned how to fully utilize my camera. My professor was also a very skilled/ prestigious photographer, and he made the class engaging and fun. I just want to give a huge thanks to my sponsors and donors because without y'all I wouldn't have had this experience! Thank you so much for believing in me and allowing me to partake in this program with your support!

Posted below are some of the shots in my final project called "Chasing Staircases"

Part 1
Part 1
Part 2
Part 2
Part 3
Part 3
Wesley
Wesley posted an update
June 26
Excited for Photography at Academy of Arts

Although there were a bunch of programs available for summer 2016, why did I, Wesley, choose the photography classes at Academy of Arts? First and foremost, I've always lived by motto "Know Your Roots," so I take a lot of pride in living in the Bay Area. Growing up, I explored San Francisco a lot and I've heard a lot of great things about the Academy of Arts. My cousin who was into fashion had a goal of attending Academy of Arts, so when I was little I always wanted to take classes here (sometime in my future) if I ever got into art. Luckily, I got into photography not too long ago and I have an undying passion to push my skills and take my photos to the next level. Up to this point I've been teaching myself, so now I really want to have a solid understanding of photography- starting with the fundamental basics. I'm super excited to learn more about this art form!

Success! Mr. McNulty helped Wesley raise $778
April 19
Anonymous donated $2
April 19

An Anonymous Donor matched this donation with $2

Naihobe Gonzalez donated $25
April 19

I'm super impressed with how good of a photographer you've become in such a short amount of time. Keep it up!

An Anonymous Donor matched this donation with $25

Angela Le donated $25
April 19

Have a great summer Wesley! I am glad you are pursuing your passion.

An Anonymous Donor matched this donation with $25

Anonymous donated $25
April 19

I wanted to help because Wesley is a dedicated student who is always striving to improve as an individual, as a member of our community, and as an active and engaged citizen of the world.

An Anonymous Donor matched this donation with $25

Michael Polansky donated $25
March 26

An Anonymous Donor matched this donation with $25

Academy of Art University
Academy of Art University donated $525
March 6
Anonymous donated $50
March 6
Kellan
Mr. McNulty started this campaign
March 6
Wesley
Wesley was accepted into Wishbone!
February 11