WCAAD Student Iris Jing Admitted by 5 Top Colleges with Scholarship Offers Totaling $300,000

myarteducation
Jun 28
3 min read

Congratulations to Iris Jing on her acceptance to U Chicago!

According to US News and World Report the acceptance rate for the University of Chicago is 5%. Our Iris has made the top tier and proven herself to be a strong candidate with a body of work and acclimates to prove that.

Additional schools accepted:

Art Center College of Design-$80,000 scholarship;

SAIC-School of the Art Institute of Chicago $104,000 scholarship;

Pratt Institute $108,000 scholarship;

Reed College.

In these past 2 years, I have seen her evolution into a multi-disciplinary artist that is critical and aware of her practice. Not only is she creating work but is showcasing her work in various venues. There is a sincerity and freshness that drives the work. I believe her to be a great candidate that can represent the prestigious U Chicago with her work ethic as she has done here, in our academy while maintaining a GP above 4.0A and advanced courses.

In our class she is very much a leader in the way she wants to promote a dialogue in her work and people around her to create a creative community. I have relied on her to bring in the upmost quality and experimental work that often than not influences others. Her once hobbies of Creative Writing and Entomology have now been a catalyst to create a series and focus with the humanistic connection as she works on various art projects for 6-9 hours weekly and goes beyond on her own.

Iris had a five week long solo exhibition “Murmurs of the Unheard” from January to March 2025 at the Center Gallery of Anaheim City. Featuring 20 selected works of Iris, it captures the artist’s interdisciplinary vision and love for the natural world—its unadulterated sensualities, freedom of boundaries, and timeless reciprocity.

In her immersive projects, Iris uses explorative materials such as resin, acrylic sheets, sequins, found objects, and textiles to express the fleeting qualities of nature. These textured elements, alongside her bold brushwork and performative public art, evoke not only the physical senses but also the visceral emotions tied to the human experience.

“I came to this classroom filled with anxiety and uncertainty about the future. I have loved the idea of artmaking for most of my life, but I just couldn’t put into context what the life of a creative could look like—or how important art really is to the sanity of being.” Iris said,“Over the last two years, I’ve broken the cocoon of insecurity and self-doubt that once prevented me from turning my wild, absurd ideas into reality. I realized that being creative means responding to your emotions, feeling them profoundly, and taking risks—constantly. In response, I built large installations in abandoned houses, spent hours carving a styrofoam beetle, and raised silkworms that wove paintings into one.”

This young artist does not stop as she is highly motivated. She is a featured artist and recipient of Honor Award in the Youth Category, “Reversed”. Her awards and honors include: Costa Mesa ArtVenture Honor Award for Youth Category 2024, Certificate of Completion (Barnard Pre-College: Global

Modernism) 2024, Published Artworks in Celebrating Art Magazine 2024,Twice OC Artist of the Year Nominee 2024. Scholastic Arts Competition- 2 Gold Keys and a Silver Medal 2024, Stop Hate Art Contest Winner 2024, AP Scholar with Distinction 2024, AP Scholar with Honor 2023, National Honor Society 2023-2024,National Art Honor Society 2023-2024.

Her leadership includes the Fairmont’s Drop of Art Club where she is the founder and president aimed to encourage and promote art education in school districts, education organizations, and under-privileged communities. She is also President and Chief Editor – Present Giving Children Hope- SoCal High School Alliance. Starting as a member of GCHope in 2020, Iris began volunteering at the warehouse and distribution center of GCHope and now promoted- from a secretary to Vice President. She is an Art Director and Historian for The Youth Initiative Embracing Lasting Development (YIELD) .