Hudson County Community College Summer Youth and Teen Programs Shine with Culinary, Digital Photography, and College Readiness Classes

In-Person Programs include:

Digital Photography, a creative opportunity for new or experienced shutterbugs. Using any digital camera, students will examine the concepts of exposure, color balance, composition, and lighting techniques. Students may explore macro (close-up) photography, landscape and portraiture, and learn about post-production editing at an HCCC computer lab. The course includes a field trip to a local destination for an on-location photo shoot.

Instructor: William A. Ortega is an educator and visual artist. He received his B.F.A. from New Jersey City University, M.F.A. from Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts, and M.P.S. in Digital Photography from the School of Visual Arts. A first-generation Latin American, Ortega focuses his photography on the process of assimilation by exploring themes of identity. His images document and inspect used items, landscapes, immediate family, ancestry and cultural racial history or its psychological impact.

For ages 9 - 15. Classes will be held Monday - Thursday, July 12 -15, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (1-hour lunch). Tuition is $250.00.

Virtual Programs include:

Cooking and Baking Week has young chefs cooking and baking a different recipe every day, including chicken paella, steak tacos, cream puffs, and apple tarts.

For ages 9 - 15. Classes are Monday - Thursday, July 19 - 22, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  Tuition is $149.00.

Baking Week teaches students to create kid-friendly desserts from around the world! Starting with basic knife skills and kitchen safety, students will develop techniques that build confidence in the kitchen. They will bake European classics such as cream puffs and Apple tarts, and learn modern bakeshop techniques in creating chocolate twists and bread pudding.

For ages 9 - 15. Classes are Monday - Thursday, August 9 - 12, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  Tuition is $149.00.

Cooking Week introduces students to kid-friendly meals with global flavors! They will learn basic knife skills and kitchen safety, and develop their confidence in the kitchen by preparing homemade pasta from scratch, a basic marinara sauce, and toaster oven pizza. Steak tacos and chicken paella round out their four-day culinary journey.

For ages 9 - 15. Classes are Monday - Thursday, August 16 - 19, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuition is $149.00.

Individual Culinary Classes are offered for students ages 9 -15. Students may select one class during Cooking and Baking Week, Baking Week, and Cooking Week for just $49.00 per class.

Instructor: Chef Sean Wilson is the Chef Owner of CSW Catering, whose culinary career began when he made caramelized apples and ice cream for his grandparents. Growing up in Hudson County, he went on foodie road trips with his siblings, and used his scout troop to taste-test his new hot meal recipes. Chef Wilson views the new American approach to clean eating as an opportunity to change lives. Whether cooking for students in New Jersey public schools or rock stars in the Hamptons, Chef Wilson offers unique menus and culinary nuances.

College Readiness Classes, Available In-person with Virtual Option:

In these intensive test preparation classes, high school students will gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to successfully take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and impress college recruiters. Basic problem-solving techniques help strengthen abilities and avoid careless mistakes. Samples from actual SAT exams are used in the classes.

SAT Language Arts Preparation. Instructor Elissa D'Aries, who holds a Master of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from Boston University, has been helping students apply to colleges in a professional setting since 2015. In addition to preparing high school students to take the SAT and fill out college applications, she teaches and tutors college-level reading and writing.

Classes are Monday - Thursday, July 26 – 29 and August 2 - 5, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuition is $275.00.

SAT Math Preparation is taught by HCCC Professor Raza Qamar, who has been teaching Math, Computer Science, Chemistry, and Physics at the College for more than 15 years, and at New Jersey City University (NJCU), Saint Peters University, Essex County Community College, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), and Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC). Professor Qamar also trained teachers in Zambia and Nigeria for four years.

Classes are Monday - Thursday, July 26 - 29 and August 2 - 5, 2021, from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuition is $275.00.