16 is the age where many high school students begin the grueling task of searching for a job, but for some, they are given the opportunity to get their first work experience early. 

“They’re like internships where you kinda just go in and then you work together with your peers on whatever task that your sponsor or supervisor has decided for that day,” said senior Milo Manley on After School Matters programs. 

After School Matters (ASM) was founded by Maggie Daley in 1991 initially known as Gallery 37, it was a summer arts non-profit program created for Chicago teens. It began expanding in 1995, leading to a partnership with Chicago Public Schools to deliver programs in Chicago high schools. 

ASM expanded outside of the arts in the 2000s, giving opportunities to teens of all interests, and giving teens the opportunity to break down the barriers keeping them from adequate spaces of education and employment, as all students who participate in ASM earn a financial stipend of varying value. 

As of 2026, in its 35th year of operation, ASM now offers more than 24,000 program opportunities each year, at 338 sites across the city, according to afterschoolmatters.org, many of which are frequented by Lane students. 

“I feel like I’ve learned how to use new materials, which is cool, and new strategies, which are really interesting,” said sophomore Faye Marquiis, a first-time participant in the Painting and Drawing program located at The Michael and Karyn Lutz Center. 

Marquiis shared that she intends to participate in more programs throughout the rest of high school. “I think it’s a good way to, you know, step into different professions,” Marquiis said.  

While ASM gives teens the ability to explore different career paths, it also allows students an opportunity to make money for themselves. “I like the way that it pays, I think it’s nice and it is pretty sustainable,” said Marquiis. “Like, I’m able to spend my money the way I want to.”  

In addition to learning about different professions and making money, ASM is also a place that allows students to connect with others. “It’s nice to meet people from other schools, just because I feel like most of my friends are [at Lane], and then my old school, obviously. So that’s nice,” said sophomore Thora Cox, also a participant in the Lutz Painting and Drawing Program. 

While this program wasn’t her first choice, Cox shared excitement that she is able to explore more programs in the future and has made the best of this one. “[Faye and I] had wanted to do a dark room photography one because that’s so cool,” Cox said. “But, then we thought that we were gonna get called in for an interview, and then we missed the interview date, so then we came on the last day, and that was one of the only ones that was open. But I feel like it’s been fun.”

In addition, Cox said, “I do want to do more ASM programs in the future,” expressing further interest in getting the opportunity to participate in the dark room photography program. 

While students have the opportunity to participate in ASM programs throughout the year, some choose to only take part in programs over the summer. Manley participated in a Digital photography program this past summer at Gallery 37, and a Horticulture and Botany Program the summer prior. 

“Both were really fun,” said Manley. “For horticulture, I learned a lot about growing plants, and then over the summer, for photography, I really just improved a lot of my photography skills. So that was good to learn.” 

Following this program, Manley carried the skills he learned over to his daily life. Since Manley is currently enrolled in the AP 2D Art and Design class at Lane, he said, “I’ve continued taking photos this year, so that’s been fun.” 

While many students utilize the flexibility of ASM to experiment and try a plethora of different programs, others find one that best fits their interests and they stick with it. Junior Elijah Mastey has participated in three levels of ASM programs at West Town Bikes, including beginning bikes, advanced bikes, and now an apprenticeship. 

While Mastey began at ASM because he needed something to do in the summer, he has continued there because he enjoys the atmosphere and there are no other programs that interest him as much. “I just really like [bikes]. And I like the shop a lot. I like the people there, and I just have a lot of fun sitting in the shop and working on bikes,” said Mastey. 

While this is currently just a program that Mastey participates in, he hopes to continue with it and use the program as a pathway to further his career. “It’s still just an After School Matters program, but the goal is to turn it into a [real] job, but formally it’s an internship,” said Mastey. 

Additionally, junior Nissa Abajian has participated in the Mosaic Arts program at the Lutz Center for the past two sessions. “I just thought it was really fun and I liked how chill it was, like basically just show up, make mosaics, and then go home,” Abajian said. 

As for whether or not Abajian would recommend ASM to other people, they said, “I would, it’s really fun.”