July 23, 2025

Ferris State empowering high schoolers to be leaders, problem-solvers of the future through immersive summer learning experience

West Michigan high school students looking to create a positive impact on people and the planet are gearing up for an unforgettable two-week learning experience focused on collaborative problem solving and sustainable development work here in our region and beyond.

Organized by Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design, the 2025 Wege Prize High School Collaborative Studio will empower 20 students entering their junior and senior year to envision solutions for the planet’s most pressing and complex “wicked problems” starting July 21. 

During the two weeks, the students form teams and create their own design ideas to address the global and regional challenges through the lens of whole systems design thinking, sustainable development, and the circular economy— an emerging economic system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated.

The workshop is based on the framework of KCAD's international collegiate student design competition, Wege Prize, which promotes the circular economy through design solutions among the multidisciplinary, cultural, and institutional participants, furthering real-world solutions to environmental, energy, waste, hunger, agricultural and other challenges.

It’s a high-level opportunity, bringing the students in contact with leaders in 10 of the most impressive organizations in the Midwest, including: 

• John Ball Zoo, where students will learn about wildlife conservation and inclusion from Allmon Forrester, Zoo facilities director, and Disability Advocates of Kent County.
• BAMF Health, where students will learn how this innovative medical start-up is transforming the way we diagnose and treat disease.
• Grand Rapids Public Museum, where students will learn about the complexity of the Grand River Restoration project and how the Museum plans to provide engaged educational experiences on the river from Dr. Stephanie Olgren, GRPM vice president for science and education, and Kelsey Groesbeck, GRPM building science engineer. 
• Kids' Food Basket, where students learn about kids dealing with food insecurity in our community and how the farm helps, led by Executive Director Bridget Clark-Whitney. 

Along with hands-on design experience and a $597 stipend, participating high schoolers share in free daily lunches, create portfolio-quality design work, and receive letters of recommendation, along with professional mentoring and community networking opportunities. 

“During the workshop, students collaborate in four groups of five led by qualified facilitators to research, conceptualize, and design solutions to challenges we actually face today in West Michigan,” said Gayle DeBruyn, a KCAD professor who chairs the college’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Collaborative Design and Associate of Fine Arts in Design Studies programs. “Their two-week journey culminates with a final-day team presentation on their completed designs to an audience of community leaders.”

This is the fifth annual iteration of the Wege Prize High School Collaborative Studio, first established by KCAD in 2021 with the support of the Wege Foundation. Past participants have engaged with leaders in architecture, fashion, accessibility, agriculture, food insecurity, and more, including a tour of PADNOS Recycling Center and trips to the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds and to Friends of Grand Rapids Parks.

“Students find expanded career opportunities and the benefits of being actively engaged with the world around them,” DeBruyn said. “By providing teens with the tools to become active contributors in their communities, we’re aiming to help them invest in creating a better future.”

Student teams in the 2025 Wege Prize High School Collaborative Studio will present their final projects to a panel of industry professionals and live/online audiences at an event held in KCAD’s 17 Fountain St. NW building on Friday, Aug. 1 from 12:30-3:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public.