3 Culver students attend prestigious Northwestern summer arts program

 

Three Culver Academies students spent part of their summer immersed in intensive film and theatre training at Northwestern University after earning spots in the university's highly selective National High School Institute.

Seniors Gabby Bernal and Elaine Zhang and junior Juwon Chung were accepted into the renowned summer program, which brings together talented young artists from around the world for five weeks of classes, workshops and performances on Northwestern's campus in Evanston, Illinois.

Zhang and Chung attended the film and video division of the program and saw each other daily, while Bernal was on another part of campus studying in the theatre arts division's musical theater program. Zhang and Chung were able to watch her capstone performance.

Adam Joyce, Culver’s director of theatre, who previously served as a faculty member and administrative director of the National High School Institute, said the program offers students an opportunity to experience college-level arts training while exploring potential academic and career paths.

"It's a college-before-college experience," Joyce said. "The students meet like-minded artists. It's a very transformative experience for our students. It's an opportunity for them to see what's happening at other representative high schools and imagine themselves doing this as a potential university path."

Bernal and Zhang said they are considering Northwestern as their top college choice after the experience.

Bernal, who hopes to study musical theater in college, spent long days balancing theater classes and rehearsals.

 

 

"My first class would be at 8:30 and then classes would end at about 5 p.m., and then we'd have rehearsal from 6:30 to 10 every day," Bernal said. "It was tiring, but not in a bad way because you were learning so much and meeting so many amazing people."

Her coursework focused on vocal performance, acting and stage technique. One of the most valuable lessons, she said, came from a teacher who encouraged students to focus less on their singing and more on storytelling.

"One of the biggest pieces of advice that I got was to completely not focus on how you're sounding at all while you are singing,” Bernal said. “Almost like you're acting a monologue, except you just happen to be singing it."

Though the work was exhausting, the experience reinforced her desire to pursue theater professionally.

"This was the first time that I'd really experienced theater all day, every day for an extended period of time," Bernal said. "Going in, I was a little nervous that maybe I won't actually like this. But then I had the best time. Now I'm sure that this is what I want to do."

She said she loved being around so many people who are passionate about musicals.

“Because it's not that common to find students interested in theatre the same way that you are, especially that many students,” she said.

She is keeping in touch with some friends she made there.

Zhang, who plans to pursue film directing in college, had a similar experience, finding great value in being surrounded by other aspiring filmmakers.

"It was a five-week course, so they systematically taught us how to direct, how to work with actors, composition, color, camera work and sound," Zhang said.

She directed two short films as part of the program and worked on a third as a producer and sound engineer.

"The Cherubs experience helped me prepare so much," Zhang said. "Now I'm not overwhelmed to do my own directed piece. I know what to do exactly."

Like Bernal, her schedule was filled from morning until 10 p.m.

“Culver prepared us for the busy schedule there so we weren’t overwhelmed like some of the other students,” she said.

Zhang said one of the program's greatest strengths was its community.

"It's so hard to find 80 other people that are as passionate as you about film," she said. "It's really precious to have those people and those shared memories."

 

 

Chung became the first Culver junior to be accepted into the program.

"They only take about one to two juniors per year for that program," Joyce said. "For him to apply and be accepted as a junior is remarkable."

For Chung, who hopes to become a filmmaker, the program confirmed a long-held ambition.

"I've been a writer for pretty much as long as I can remember," Chung said. "My dream is to become a filmmaker."

Chung, who was focusing on screenwriting, said the experience combined intensive instruction with hands-on filmmaking.

During the first three weeks, students attended classes on screenwriting, film analysis and production techniques while completing short projects. The final weeks focused on producing capstone films.

"We learned story structure, how to most efficiently use words and what to do when editing," Chung said. "Learning how to cut things down from 13 pages to five is such a useful skill to have in any vein of writing."

Perhaps more importantly, he said, the program connected him with students who shared his passion for film.

"At Culver, the main issue I find is trying to find people who are actually interested in making films," Chung said. "Learning that there are people out there like me who are interested in this thing, just with a different skill set, is definitely very encouraging."

All three students said the program's demanding schedule was balanced by the friendships they formed with peers from around the world.

"I think my favorite thing about it was just meeting all the other students who were there," Bernal said. "When you find people there, you click with them so well because you have so much in common."

As Chung, Zhang and Bernal return to Culver for the school year, each returns with not only new skills but also greater confidence in the paths they hope to pursue.

"If someone is thinking about applying," Zhang said, "I would definitely tell them to apply. It was such a great experience."

The three students each returned to Culver, an elite leadership-oriented boarding school, with new artistic skills, new friendships and a clear vision of their ambitions.