Manhattan Early College School for Marketing and Media Arts
About the 2025 Character Design Program at MECA
Creative Art Works’ Character Design Program is a paid internship offered at four NYC Career and Technical Education High Schools. Interns are challenged to create their own fully-realized characters with backstories, personality traits, and strengths and weaknesses.
This year, the curriculum suggested three themes, derived from the Games for Change design competition, to help interns shape their creative vision: Own the Road, All in for Nature: Reefs & Rainforests, and Outgrow Hunger. As the program progressed, some students naturally evolved their characters beyond these original themes, reshaping stories, motivations, and designs in ways that reflected their growing skills and imagination.
Own the Road
Character Designs
Click on an image to read the full character treatment.
Street Man
by Alex Alayev
Raised by a reckless family, Street Man’s life changed at age twenty-two when his grandmother’s 250 MPH supercharged wheelchair permanently flattened a family of three. Horrified by his relatives' indifference, he swore to enforce road safety. Already fired from his pizza job for refusing to speed, he became a vigilant hero. Though he erects street signs and intercepts reckless drivers, Street Man faces a painful truth: he cannot prevent every accident until the community unites behind him.
Iris
by Esther Chen
Iris is a cold, high-ranking angel whose freezing aura turned her white uniform blue. Armed with three essential weapons, her life changes when a jealous rival pushes her into Earth's rebirth portal. Wiped of her memories, her human mother’s tragic car crash awakens her powers, inspiring Iris to champion road safety. After a second rebirth completely unlocks her magic, she restores order to a chaotic heaven, only for a traitor's ancient curse to drag her down.
Mike
by Gabriel Lugo
Mike is a determined road safety hero who fights to protect his community through driving awareness, but must overcome public apathy before the streets become deadly. Traumatized by a car accident at age twelve that killed his father, nineteen-year-old Mike wears his dad's hat and a yellow safety vest to preach road safety. Moving from NYC to Mississippi, his high-energy vision board presentations face sudden mockery from reckless teens. Crushed by their cruelty, Mike falls into deep self-doubt, pausing his crusade and fearing he is failing his father's memory.
Jacob
by Shaolin Walters
Eighteen-year-old Jacob is a kind, shy, and non-confrontational Miami native living alone in a studio apartment. A month after high school graduation, he joins a highly respected traffic control agency. Intimidated by his experienced coworkers, Jacob's confidence is further crushed by his friends, who bully him under the guise of "toughening him up." Labeled the weakest link, his insecurity hurts the company's reputation, sparking a year-long journey to earn his coworkers' respect.
All in for Nature: Reefs & Rainforests
Character Designs
Click on an image to read the full character treatment.
Luna
by Emma Rivera
Seventeen-year-old Luna is a kind and funny girl born with a deep spiritual connection to her childhood rainforest home. Dressed in natural shades of green and brown, she views the forest as her ultimate safe haven. When a group of corrupt individuals threatens to tear down the trees for development, Luna rises to defend her home. Armed with a magical flower and accompanied by her best friend Peter, a magical parrot, she fights to save her sanctuary.
Alina
by Areli Garcia
Born undersea in the Royalness Hospital, eighteen-year-old Alina is a kind, empathetic, and responsible mermaid. After her grandmother tragically died when a powerful ocean current shoved her into a rock, Alina discovered she possessed the magic of healing and growth. Realizing healthy reefs naturally reduce dangerous currents, the courageous mermaid dedicated her life to growing new coral, determined to protect her underwater kingdom from future tragedy.
Lumi
by Diarra Diop
Lumi is a dedicated reef protector who spends her days safeguarding colorful coral kingdoms and their marine life. Armed with a massive anchor, she fiercely defends the ocean from those who wish to destroy it. Her legendary bravery was tested when a horde of thirty reef destroyers launched a coordinated attack. Though alone, outnumbered, and injured in the brutal battle, Lumi stood her ground, single-handedly repelling the invaders and cementing her legacy as an unstoppable ocean guardian.
Coralina
by Melanie Salazar
Seven-year-old Coralina is a brave, compassionate sea creature born in a vibrant Pacific reef. When human pollution and trash began devastating her home, Coralina refused to stand by. Utilizing her strong fins to clear heavy debris and sharp eyes to spot hidden waste, she discovered a magical way to purify water using natural currents. Her tireless work and glimmering scales inspired a massive teamwork effort among local marine life, successfully restoring the reef to its former beauty.
Horror
Character Designs
Click on an image to read the full character treatment.
Nikita
by Inita Jahn
This story is inspired by the Bangladeshi story of the "crying woman" which is similar to the Mexican legend of "la llorona," only much darker. Sixteen-year-old Nikita believed she was just an ordinary girl, despite being constantly haunted by vivid dreams of a weeping woman. Nightmares turns to reality when Nikita encounters the crying spirit in real life—discovering that she alone can see her. Uncovering a deep, catastrophic darkness hidden within the entity, Nikita teams up with her friends on a high-stakes mission to stop the spirit and save the world from the ancient malice she harbors.
Process Work From All Groups
