Hi, my name is Nova Wood, I'm a self directed homeschooler and my dream is to attend the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago. I received a merit scholarship of 75k but even with the scholarship tuition and dorms are 52k per year for 4 years. I hope to be able to raise enough to attend school this fall of 2021. I plan to attend full time and do the work/study program while living in the dorms on campus. 

Here are letters of recommendations from two of my teachers.
Thank you so much for your time 

 Letter of Recommendation from Hilary Key, my art teacher and owner of Art Steps and graduate of SAIC

If you know Nova, you know that she has an extraordinary spirit, unique outlook, and such a bright inner spark.  As her art teacher, I can tell you that she has found her perfect match, a home where she can truly grow into her potential, in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In fact, in my 22 years of art teaching experience, I have literally never come across a student who is such a perfect fit. Having attended SAIC, I have observed that those who shine brightest, like Nova, are self-driven, open-minded, talented, unorthodox, sensitive, curious, discerning, industrious, intelligent, culturally aware, courageous, and yearning to grow. 


By attending the School, Nova will have firsthand exposure to the avant-garde: the cutting edge of the fine art world. Every single day, she will have unlimited access to the Chicago Art Museum, absorbing the world's greatest masterpieces as she walks by them on the way to class, increasingly sensing her place in the arc of art history. Immersed in a culture that fundamentally values experimentation, she'll have the best possible chance to fully explore and develop what she is meant to do, while meeting and connecting with the most sophisticated artists of our time, world-renowned change-makers, even artistic icons. SAIC graduates are the people who help shift paradigms and create culture. With her wonderful family and unique background, from what I can see, everything in her life has prepared her to excel in this particular environment.  There, she will find her people, her mission, and her voice. Nova belongs at SAIC. I am supporting her in her journey, and I hope that you will, too. 


Letter Of recommendation from Chris Sullivan,  Art teacher

Several years ago, I met Nova Wood. Nova and her grandmother were signed up for one of my private watercolor workshops in my Laguna Beach studio. I was surprised that she was so young. Nova was probably about 14. The other participants were adults. What surprised me was that she was very poised and comfortable with the other adult students. What surprised me even more was her competency with watercolor and her quest to learn more about painting in that medium.

Nova worked hard learning about and perfecting the various watercolor techniques and methods. Watercolor is the most challenging of all the painting media. It is important to learn how to control it. The painting projects varied from simple to more complex. She mastered them in a short time. Her grandmother told me that Nova started painting what she learned as soon as she got back home from class.

Nova ranks up there are one of my best students young or old. She is very creative and loves new challenges. She is not afraid to experiment with new ideas or to venture into other media. The Chicago Art Institute would be an excellent venue for her to expand her art education.

Most sincerely,
Christine Sullivan
Art Professor, Retired, Coastline Community College, Newport Beach, CA Past President, Watercolor West an International Watercolor Society