Justin Freeman

 A leader driven by passion for expression

Core Values: Discipline, Ambition, and Reliability

Bio

Hi, I'm Justin Freeman. I'm a 17-year-old Junior at the Orange County School of the Arts. Though school takes up a lot of my time, my hobbies include playing guitar, singing, reading, and watching movies. I've been playing classical guitar since I was 9, and singing since I can't remember.

My impact project is ArtSPARKS!, and for the past 2 or so years, I have been working on this program. The inspiration for this project came from my first experience with children on the spectrum 2 ½ years ago, when I volunteered over the summer at a special education summer school. During this time, I spent hours in one-on-one tutoring with ages 7 to 10, teaching math and reading. I learned a lot from my experience with these kids. Through my experience with these kids, I became more curious about helping more like them, and so this project came to mind to do so! After over 200 hours of work on the project, it came to life during the summer of 2023. It was a great experience and success.

 

Work with Justin
IMPACT PROJECTS  | HIGHLIGHTS

 

Founder of ArtSPARKS!

Over the course of a year and a half, I took part in the Dragon Kim Foundation Fellowship program, which provided me with a $5,000 fund to launch my project, ArtSPARKS! After over 50 hours of leadership training, I recruited, trained, and oversaw more than 20 student and adult volunteers. I utilized my experience in the arts to create a camp that offered children on the spectrum the fun and excitement of dance, art, and music. I was fortunate to be able to work with my two mentors, who guided me in recruiting special needs arts teachers, volunteers, and campers, along with fundraising, marketing, and more. I reached out to multiple organizations, families, and friends, set up a website, created budgets (along with expense reports), and much more. By the beginning of the summer, we had more than 45 camper applications, raised an additional $5,000, had 21 volunteers, and recruited 4 special needs arts teachers. The camp was free to all campers, and it ran for one week at my school, the Orange County School of the Arts. The camp was more successful than I could have ever imagined, and after a survey we did after the camp, we found that many campers loved the experience. However, it was the impact on the volunteers that surprised me most, as they had learned to respect and love the kids they served. More than anyone, though, I was impacted. My life has been forever changed. As of now, I am working with my school to integrate the program into my school's regular summer program so that even when I do leave the school, this project will continue to change the lives of so many of these children.

Mentorship experience

Dragon Kim Foundation Fellowship program: Did leadership training over a total of ~50 hours working with students to solve project problems, and even at one point obstacle course problems.

            Q&A with Erica

 

What others experienced

" I loved the entire experience. I was stuck with my project for a LONG time and I'm glad my mentor helped me. Not only did she help me with my project but she helped me connect with other researchers and experts."

—Amanda

8th Grade 

 

YES, I WANT IN!