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Outcomes and Proof of Impact
OSA STUDENT ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE:
• 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate, Leila Mottley received a deal with Knopf to publish her debut novel
• Vocal Rush is a five-time national a cappella champion
• The High School Big Band placed 1st in the Folsom
Jazz Festival, 2nd at the El Cerrito Jazz Fest, and an unprecendented 4th at the Reno Jazz Fest
• In collaboration with Cal Performances at UC Berkeley,
OSA Instrumental Music students have collaborated with Oakland and Berkeley Unified School Districts, and El Sistema programs all across California. They have performed alongside Gustavo Dudamel’s Youth
Orchestra of Los Angeles as well as on stage in a combined 170 student orchestra at Zellerbach Hall
• Fashion Design student Ajai Wilborn won a Gucci Changemakers x CFDA by Design Scholarship
• Fashion Design alum Zachary Fernandez was 3rd runner-up on the reality show Project Runway Junior and showed a collection at NY Fashion Week
• Students have been featured in Downbeat Magazine for best Jazz Soloist and Original Composition • Students have performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton
Marsalis, Chris Martin, Kronos String Quartet, Pete
Escovedo, Michael Franti, Daveed Diggs, Rafa Casal,
Dave Grohl, Adrian Marcel and Coldplay
• Fashion Design students have had their work shown alongside Kehinde Wiley and Ruth E. Carter in the exhibit Self,Made at the Exploratorium in San Francisco
• OSA students have performed at Carnegie Hall, the
Fox Theater in Oakland, Yoshi’s, PIXAR, Google and
Youtube Headquarters
• Dance alum have gone on to dance and been featured in music videos for such stars as Janet Jackson,
Arianna Grande, Kehlani, and Sam Smith
• Fashion Design alumna Nyah Ginwright was a featured speaker at the Smithsonian about fashion and identity
• Graduates have become stars in HBO, Netflix and
Disney series
• Graduates have become Tony Award winners, Emmy and Grammy nominees
STEP IT UP
Since 2014, OSA has annually served an additional 100 students in the community through Step it Up, a recruitment program specifically designed to give underserved Oakland youth access to OSA’s high-quality arts instruction. Step it Up seeks to give interested students the tools they need to feel confident in applying to OSA.

