As part of TPZ’s programmatic redesign, I led a new program component called Deep Dives – an ever-expanding set of 20-hour STEAM intensives covering fields including artificial intelligence, product design, fashion, game design, and music production. Each Deep Dive is designed as an immersive, STEAM-focused, project-based experience for technical skill building, career exploration, and creative problem-solving; seeks to foster community and sense of belonging in STEAM-disciplinary contexts; and serves as a potential launchpad to for industry bootcamps, certification programs, and internships. To this end, TPZ partners with institutions and practitioners to provide content expertise grounded in real-world experience. Pictured below is the high-level curriculum overview for our Apparel Design Deep Dive in partnership with Converse, in which students wear the hats of a diverse range of creative industry roles, spanning multiple disciplines and departments, as they develop their own graphic t-shirts following Converse’s internal product design process. First piloted in 2021, this partnership has since expanded to include a total of three Deep Dive courses in apparel design, footwear design, and brand marketing.
