CHALLENGE

For most CCHS students, the creative careers happening nearby felt out of reach. Not because of ability, but because the connections, mentorship, and professional exposure that make those careers accessible simply didn't exist. Educators were also navigating budget cuts and looking for ways to strengthen their Art and CTE programs without starting from scratch. We set out to address both, starting in the classroom.

OUR WORK

Working with CCHS administrators, including the District Arts Coordinator and school leadership, we expanded the Design= program year over year, deepening the partnership with each deployment. In 2024, Amazon designers engaged 77 students through classroom visits and a field trip to Amazon's Culver City campus. In 2025, the partnership grew to six classrooms, five educators, and 200 students completing the full Design= Curriculum Kit over nine weeks, with Amazon designers making multiple visits throughout to provide mentorship, feedback, and real-world context.

What made this deployment distinctive was its cross-disciplinary reach. Rather than limiting the program to traditional art classes, CCHS administrators paired art classes — Film and Photography, Advanced Music, and Art & Culture — with non-art classes including AVID, a college preparatory elective for prospective first-generation college graduates. Students in every classroom worked through the Design= Curriculum Kit, a tool we built to make design thinking accessible in any classroom. Each class developed customized design challenges along the way. At the end of the nine weeks, 104 students visited Amazon's Culver City campus, presented their work to a panel of Amazon designers, and participated in a live Q&A about careers in the creative industries.

IMPACT

• 200 students reached in 2025, a 160% increase from 2024

• 5 educators trained across 6 classrooms and 3 cross-disciplinary pairings

• 25 Amazon designers engaged, contributing 51 total volunteer hours

• 84.6% of students felt confident tackling a creative problem after participating

• 81.3% of students found the program interesting and educational

• 74% of students would recommend Design= to a friend

• 52.2% of students cited hearing from Amazon designers about their careers as their favorite part of the program

• Educators across all classrooms expressed interest in continuing the partnership and incorporating Design= into their ongoing curriculum

• Educator testimonial: "The opportunity for students to collaborate directly with industry professionals from Amazon Studios has been transformative. It bridges the gap between classroom theory and real-world application, proving invaluable for career readiness in design and media fields."

SELECT ACTIVITIES

Career exposure · Corporate social impact · Cross-sector partnerships · Impact measurement · Program design & management · Stakeholder engagement