student reviews

From building pinhole cameras, to turning my hallway into a mini gallery, and then creating my college application portfolio, you’ve taught me so much and really let me explore photography. Thank you for all of the opportunities and milestones you helped me achieve. Without you, publishing my editorial in The Almanac, having my first photography exhibition at the Konditorei in Portola Valley, publishing 4 photography books, getting 7 out of 8 college acceptances, and my solo photography exhibition at the Village Hub in Woodside wouldn’t have been possible.

It’s really cool to look back and see how my work has grown. And honestly, I don’t know if I’d even be going to college to study photojournalism if it weren’t for you. So, thank you so much, I am so so grateful!
— Anna C, member of the Creative Youth Collective 2016 - 2023, Scholarship winner, 2023
My favorite part of being in the Creative Youth Collective and creating my blog, Addie’s Going Places, has been being able to do something cool after school and having a lot of fun with it! It was great to have time to write about the things that I love, fun experiences, and just show my friends and family what’s going on in my life.
— Addie Z.
I am proud of the story I was able to tell - it’s honestly one that I didn’t even know I could tell. Kathryn helped me to improve at writing in a conversational tone, and I personally enjoyed the multimedia aspects of our work. I created my story not only as an essay, but as a series of photographs that told my story visually, as well, and then self published it as a hardcover book!
— Marco C.
I loved discovering a story in my life that I wanted to tell and through the process, I learned even more about myself and my story. I loved looking for great photo angles and looking through my parents old photos and graduation pictures. It was a great excuse to look more into their past life.

From working on this creative project with Kathryn, I learned that my family and education are very important to me. I now know where I get my determination and work ethic from. I guess you could say it is in my blood!

When looking at what I’ve accomplished, I am most proud of conveying my story with a voice of my own. You could really hear my voice in my writing and also in my photos. The photos I took turned out amazing!

I would absolutely recommend working with Kathryn! I thought I didn’t have an interesting story to tell from my few 17 years of life, but this project showed me that I do.
— Sofia P.
“This past year, I became a much better writer than I thought I could be, thanks to you! I got to write about things close to my heart, and I had so much fun and lots of laughs while doing it. Now my blog is amazing and filled with posts!
— Anna C.
One of my highlights from this year is writing. I have learned I like writing more because I wrote a lot with Kathryn. I learned to edit my writing more carefully and use vivid verbs and different adjectives. To bring my stories to life on my blog I learned to add more pictures and videos to illustrate my writing. Lastly I learned that comments and suggestions from my readers can motivate me to write more and improve.
— Zoe A.
Writing on a blog is something I started in 7th grade and it has made writing so much easier and more fun than writing at school. At school, the writing that we do is really boring. However, when I write here on my blog, I get a lot more freedom. Also, I have a lot more time to prepare and edit whereas when I am at school, I have a set time to finish my piece. In addition, when I write on my blog, I get to choose my topic. This makes it a lot easier because I enjoy writing about that topic. Finally, when I write on my blog, I can read my writing out loud. For me, it makes it a lot easier to catch mistakes that I would not have been able to catch if I read in my head.
— Dean W.
“I would ABSOLUTELY, without a doubt, nominate Dr. Gentzke for all the teaching awards. As a student of his, I could tell early on that he is passionate and serious about what he does. This class didn’t even feel like a class, in the best way. The community and class culture he established felt very similar to that of a book club, which made me feel more validated in my opinions and observations. Gentzke was very attentive, and personally engaging. I also appreciate his willingness and flexibility to “read the room” amidst our current pandemic circumstances and tailor the course to our changing times. He is a wonderful instructor and deserving of every honor bestowed upon him.”
— Jill, Ways of Knowing Student
“I would nominate Professor Gentzke for a teaching excellence award because he not only taught this class in a way that made his students engaged in the material, but he taught this class in a way that showed he cared for his students. Professor Gentzke is a teacher who I will not forget for his kindness, his interest in the materials, and his care toward his students. Additionally, his teaching of this course made me want to take more courses like it.”
— Simon, Ways of Knowing Student
Dr. Gentzke is an amazing instructor: deeply passionate, engaging, caring, and most of all, works to develop each of his students not just academically, but personally and spiritually. Even though this class is not required, it very well might be the most important class I will ever take, and it has everything to do with Dr. Gentzke teaching the class.
— Amanda, Ways of Knowing Student