Reach Out Initiative

Design’s influence is more important than ever. It shapes our world and our daily lives, demonstrating its significance. A wide range of perspectives in design is crucial, as different viewpoints contribute to richer ideas, deeper understanding, and ultimately, improved outcomes.

Reach Out is an annual outreach initiative organized by College of Design staff at the Design Lab for K-12 Education. This program seeks to expand access to design and encourage students to consider design as a future career. It provides educational design programs for North Carolina teachers and students, including after-school activities and field trips, to showcase the value of design thinking and design careers.

Interested in being a part of our Reach Out initiative? 

• Are you an educator in a public school that receives Title I funding? 
• Are you an educator in a school located in a Tier 1 or Tier 2 NC County based on 2024 NC County Distress Rankings? 
• Are you an educator passionate about opening up career possibilities for all your students?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, and you are interested in hearing more about College of Design outreach and engagement activities, please contact the Design Lab staff at designlab_k12@ncsu.edu. We’d love to include you and your students in our Reach Out initiative! 

Reach Out Initiative |
Summer Program for High School Students

As an extension of our Reach Out initiative, our Design Connections Residential Experience is an immersive pre-college summer residential experience of NC State University’s College of Design, and is hosted by the Design Lab for K-12 Education & Outreach and led by undergraduate and graduate students from the college.

See below for more information and to apply.

Rising 10th, 11th, and 12th Graders

JULY 6 – 11, 2025

The Design Connections Experience is an immersive, week-long, interdisciplinary pre-college residential program designed to nurture the next generation of designers. This program aims to make design accessible to everyone and works to broaden access for students from all backgrounds. This program introduces students to the fundamentals of design and the process of creating an interdisciplinary design project in a studio environment. This Sunday to Friday residential experience will introduce students to fundamental design concepts and methods representative of creative activity across design disciplines. Students will think critically about design, art and the world around them as they develop a skillful level of craftsmanship in the conception, development and making of an interdisciplinary studio project.

Ideal for: This program is ideal for rising 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students from all backgrounds who want to explore design through a hands-on, immersive studio experience and complete a week-long creative project.
Cost: Housing, meals, instruction, supplies, activities, and insurance are at NO cost to those accepted into this program.
Student-Staff Ratio: 5:1
Seats Total: 20
Sample Program Schedule: Click Here

Application & Policies

Learn how to apply for Design Connections Residential Experience.

Read more

FAQs

Get answers to frequently asked questions.

Read more

Program Code of Conduct

Learn more about our code of conduct.

Read more