Otis College Completes Inaugural Summer Program with Harbor Freight and TGR Foundation
At the Creative Trades Lab, L.A. high school students explored woodworking and metal fabrication while building meaningful projects for the future TGR Learning Lab Los Angeles.
A new pilot program, a partnership between Otis College of Art and Design and TGR Foundation, that introduced students to how art, design, and skilled trades connect to today’s creative economy, wrapped up on July 31, 2026.
Otis College and TGR Foundation’s Learning Lab offered the Creative Trades Lab to 24 Los Angeles County high school students in grades 10 through 12 this summer, with support from Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. Through hands-on learning in woodworking, metal fabrication, and design thinking, students developed technical skills while working with Otis instructors and industry mentors.
Instruction, course materials, workshop tools, and fabrication supplies, as well as lunch and snacks on program days, were fully covered. In addition, students received a stipend for their participation in the program.
“One of the most helpful things I learned in the Creative Trades Lab was how to work hand-in-hand with adults,” says Sierra Hashmi, who was in the inaugural class of students. “I learned and developed skills to work with adults and not get distracted. This will help me in the future to know how to work with adults and talk to them on a professional level like I did at Otis.”
Sierra’s father, Jason, said, “I loved the hands-on nature of this program. Sierra
learned new skills and now has experience with tools and knows how to use them to
complete a project.”
Benches made by students participating in the inaugural Creative Trades Lab will be used at the new TGR Learning Lab Los Angeles on the Lulu’s Place campus, opening in 2027.
The program culminated in a showcase where students installed and presented their projects to peers, instructors, mentors, and friends and family. Students designed and constructed outdoor furniture for the TGR Learning Lab Los Angeles at Lulu’s Place, a new 25,000-square-foot learning space for students and their families set to open in 2027.
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools launched Skilled Trades Summers in 2021 to introduce high schoolers to in-demand careers and provide foundational skills prior to graduation. Otis College was the first higher education institution and campus to join the program.
Read More: Harbor Freight Tools for Schools and TGR Learning Lab Los Angeles
About TGR Foundation
TGR Foundation is a leading education nonprofit founded in 1996 by Tiger Woods. With a commitment to providing opportunities that unlock the unlimited potential in the lives of young people from under-resourced communities, its mission is to empower students to pursue their passions through education. In 2026, TGR Foundation is celebrating 30 years of driving dreams together. Through its TGR Learning Labs and signature education programs focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) educational enrichment, career and college readiness and health and well-being, TGR Foundation has served more than 217,000 students. For more information, visit TGRFoundation.org or connect on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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