The Summer Academy is a high school pre-college program for rising grades 9-12. The program is held as two one-week intensives in June and July. Courses are taught by Centenary University Professors. Select programs taught by industry professionals.
Each program offers overnight accommodations in air-conditioned residence halls with three meals and evening activities.
Summer Academy: Fashion Institute
For students interested in fashion or costume design. Students will learn how to sketch, design, and sew like a pro. If you are in grades 9-12 and interested in honing your fashion skills, this is the class for you! Students will cover a selection of fashion industry topics including garment design, career paths, and current events facing the garment industry. Students will also learn basic sewing machine operation skills and make their very own pajama bottoms to take home by the end of the week!
Instructor
Meghan Reeves, Visiting Professor of Fashion and costume at Centenary University
Professor Reeves is a Visiting Professor of fashion and Costume at Centenary University. Before coming to Centenary, Professor Reeves worked for 12 years in the K-12 public education system in varied roles from a classroom teacher of fashion to district supervisor of the arts. She has also been a freelance costume designer for several years working with many theaters across the state of NJ. Her latest endeavor is a YouTube channel for sewing and fashion tutorials called Meghan Grace DIY.
Her teaching responsibilities include levels one and two of Apparel Construction, Costume History, Textiles, and Computer Applications. Due to growing up as a competitive figure skater, her design style tends to sway toward the glamorous and stage appropriate. Her favorite thing to design is large theatrical musicals with lots of sparkles and feathers. She loves to help students navigate their way through learning apparel construction, but also helps students find their design voice and the most meaningful path after graduation. She is also responsible for advising all costume majors and overseeing their final thesis projects. Professor Reeves has a penchant for costume history and is a great team member at trivia nights. As her career at centenary unfolds, she looks forward to nurturing budding designers, continuing her research into social media and education in the time of COVID, and how our past year has shaped the fashion industry and the business world.
