WCAAD：A 30-Year Legacy of Art, Creativity and Excellence
October 18, 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of West California Academy of Art and Design (WCAAD).
Founded in 1996, the Academy has adhered to the educational philosophy of "cultivating creative thinking through art education," dedicated to helping children become future leaders with creative thinking.
"Art education is not an extracurricular luxury," said Lei Wang, the WCAAD Principal, "Its essence is to cultivate children's intelligence and insight through the training of drawing ability. It is a core pathway to developing creativity, resilience, and the power to express ideas that matter."
What Kind of Students Do Top-tier Colleges Really Choose?
A high GPA and perfect standardized test scores are merely admission tickets, not the reason for acceptance. The students top-tier colleges want are: those who love to think, have critical thinking, and have artistic talent that can bring different perspectives to the classroom and campus.
These traits are precisely the direction and ultimate goal of art education at the WCAAD.
Jonas Ma（Class 2022）
Jonas received 14 college offers in 2022, including Columbia University; UC Berkeley；USC School of Cinematic Arts scholarship $64, 000/4 yrs；Otis College of Art and Design scholarship $92, 000/4 yrs；Pratt Institute scholarship $100, 000/4 yrs；California College of Art scholarship $96, 000/4 yrs；Art Center College of Design scholarship $60, 000/4 yrs；UC Irvine scholarship $80, 000/4 yrs；Washington University St. Louis scholarship $48, 000/4 yrs；UC San Cruz; University of Texas Austin; University of Washington; UC San Diego; UC Davis.
Universities then began trying every possible way to win over this outstanding student.
A professor from USC's School of Cinematic Arts—who also works as a Hollywood producer—personally reached out to Jonas, expressing high expectations for this talented young man and hoping he would choose USC.
Meanwhile, a Columbia professor hand-wrote a welcome message to Jonas on the admission letter：“It was a pleasure reading your application.I loved learning about your passion for art and the creative ways you've been exploring that. I'm excited for you to bring your talents to college, and I hope to see you on campus this fall. Welcome to Columbia!”
Jonas chose Columbia University.
Qin An Zhou (Class 2008)
Qin An's art journey with WCAAD started by chance. At the age of 11, her mother took her to an office in San Gabriel. As the person they were meeting failed to arrive on time, the mother and daughter had no choice but to wait by the entrance. As they looked around, they spotted the sign for WCAAD across the street. They casually crossed the road and walked into the school. Seeing the walls covered with student artworks—each piece fully demonstrating the students' creativity and imagination—they felt as if they had stepped into an art gallery. Qin An became a student of WCAAD in several minutes.
Seven years later, Qin An earned acceptance to Yale University, UC Berkeley, Duke University, Brown University, and other prestigious colleges with substantial scholarships. She chose Yale. Her mother wrote a letter expressing her gratitude: "I am so proud of my daughter, and meanwhile I am also proud of myself because as a mother I made a right decision seven years ago for my daughter to learn art at your school, which became a bridge between her high school study and future success. Art has accompanied my daughter throughout her growth. Because she excelled in art, she received A's on every school project during her middle school years. She successfully applied three times for high school summer programs sponsored by the American Artists Association. Throughout her four years of high school, she was selected as the school's 'courtroom artist' every year. All of these played a positive role in boosting her college applications.”
Sen Lin （Class 2012）and Lin Lin（Class 2015）
Sen Lin, the brother, earned acceptance to Yale University in 2012. After graduation, he worked in an investment bank and a private equity institution on Wall Street. In 2020 and 2021, he was admitted to Harvard Law School and Wharton Business School pursuing dual degrees of JD and MBA. Currently he is working for the Blackstone Inc. in New York.
Lin Lin, the sister, earned acceptance to Wellesley College in 2015. After graduation she was sent by the college as a "Wellesley Yanjing Scholar" to Nanjing Normal University to teach foreign language. In 2025 she earned acceptance to Harvard University pursuing a master’s degree in Education.
In 2022 the sibling’s father left a message to WCAAD commenting the art program:“Thank you for helping my son and daughter get accepted by top universities. I sincerely hope you can help more young people go to their dream colleges. Your art program can greatly enhance their chances of success in admission. Moreover, the skills they have learned from your program will not only improve their aesthetics, temperament, and knowledge, strengthen their skills in artistic expression, but also build up stepping-stones to reach their full potential in life.”
Ashley Xiang（Class 2020)
Ashley Xiang received 13 top-tier university offers with scholarships totaling $212,000 in 2020, including: Cornell University，UC Berkeley，UCLA，USC，NYU，Parsons，Pratt，Cal Poly San Luis Obispo，Carnegie Mellon University，Northeastern University，UC Davis，UC Irvine，UC San Diego。She chose Cornell University- Architecture.
Katherine Kligys（Class 2025)
Katherine Kligys received 13 top-tier university offers in 2020, including：Harvard University, Princeton University, UC Berkeley, John Hopkins, U Penn, UCLA, Northwestern, Boston University, NYU, University of Washington, UC Davis, UCSB, UC Irvine. She chose Princeton-Bioengineering.
Vicky Du（Class 2025)
Vicky Du received 12 university offers with scholarships totaling $910,000 in 2025, including: Pratt, Woodbury, Parsons，CCA, SVA; SCAD，Otis, LCAD，MICA，Western New England University, Flsher College, UC Merced. She chose Pratt—Entertainment Design.
Recent Years College Admittance
2022: 15 students— college scholarship offers totaling $4,131,580
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2023: 22 students— college scholarship offers totaling $3,928,836
2024: 14 students— college scholarship offers totaling $3,797,420
2025: 20 students— college scholarship offers totaling $4,498,676
2026: 12 students— college scholarship offers totaling $3,223,200
WCAAD students have been winning top awards at various art contests since 1990s.
The purpose of learning art is not to win awards. Yet it is undeniable that frequent recognition through prizes does, to some extent, reflect the notable achievements of art education—especially in today's era where creativity reigns supreme. Art education nurtures well-rounded individuals, and plays a vital role in unlocking people's capacities for perception, understanding, and creation. What WCAAD art programs cultivate is not only artists, but also future leaders with an innovative spirit.
Qier Wang, 16 years old, won the National Gold Medal of the 2025-26 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. The Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their remarkable work to the world through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. In 2025-26 over 336,000 works from more than 110,000 teens from across the United States and Canada were submitted.
Qier has won this national competition for four consecutive years.
· 2022–2023 (age 13): 1 Gold Key Award, 2 Silver Key Award, 2 Honorable Mention
· 2023–2024 (age 14): 1 Silver Key Award;
· 2024–2025 (age 15): 2 Gold Key Award;
· 2025–2026 (age 16): 1 Gold Key Award, 4 Honorable Mention, 1 National Gold Medal
Six WCAAD students have won the California State 1st Place Award at the PTA Reflections contest.
Parent-teacher association (PTA) is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a school. PTA Reflections is a nationally acclaimed student recognition program to encourage artistic creativity in the classroom and at home. There are six arts categories – dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. Students of all grades and abilities may participate and explore the arts. Entries are reviewed at local, regional, state and national levels.
WCAAD students have repeatedly claimed the California State championship at the national Doodle4Google contest.
Doodle4Google is an annual contest open to students in grades K-12. Students are invited to create their own Google doodle based on an annual theme for the chance to have it featured on the Google homepage. Each year, over 100,000 entries are submitted, with only one winner selected per state in the final round.
Eric Chang, 7 years old, won the California State 1st Place award of K-3rd Grade at the 2016 Doodle4Google contest.
Angie Li, 10 years old, won the California State 1st Place award of 4th-5th Grade at the 2020 Doodle4Google contest.
Sophia Li, 12 years old, won the California State 1st Place award of 6th-7th Grade at the 2024 Doodle4Google contest. Her winning piece was also voted as one of the national Top Five finalists and the 1st Place nationwide in the 6-7 grade group.
WASC Accreditation
Since July 6th, 2017, West California Academy of Art and Design has officially become the Supplementary Education Center/Program Fully Accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). It is the decision of the WASC Commission to grant West California Academy of Art and Design (grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12th) Accreditation Status.
WASC is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of universities and schools both inside and outside the United States. Accreditation means that a school is a trustworthy institution for student learning with high standards of educational quality and academic integrity. Regional accrediting commissions review entire institutions, as opposed to programs or schools/colleges within the institutions: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges. For example, Harvard University, Yale University and MIT are accredited by NEASC; Stanford University is accredited by WASC; Art Center College of Design and Otis College of Art and Design are accredited by WASC.
This WASC accreditation channels a new period of growth for West California Academy of Art and Design, and anchors and buoys its international reputation throughout the world.
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Conclusion
Art sparks imagination, builds perspective, and enriches the soul. Over the past three decades, WCAAD has done more than teach art—it has shaped character, ignited creativity, and built community, cultivating a generation of young artists who understand that talent must be shared, and that artistic excellence goes hand in hand with civic responsibility. Many of WCAAD graduates have gone on to top art programs across the country, carrying with them the values the Academy instilled—discipline, empathy, and a commitment to giving back.
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. In the thirty years to come, that light will reach even farther—inspiring more students, more families, and more communities to believe that talent, when nurtured with care, will always find its way.
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