They're surrounded by others with the same desires and similar pursuits. And they're learning from some of the best artists in the country.

n n n

The first thing you notice about 18-year-old Michael Lombardo is his hands -- long, slender fingers, short nails and dirty.

Way dirty.

Lombardo, an art student, has just finished a charcoal self portrait. He steps outside the studio, sprays the painting with a sealer to keep it from smearing and walks back inside.

His painting is striking.

His talent evident.

But it's Lombardo's use of intersecting lines which gives his work the look and feel of a drawing done by a much older and much more seasoned artist.

"I'm trying to get away from photo-realism," he said. "I trying to express myself. To send people a message and let them know where I was at when I did the work."

An incoming senior at Norman North High School, Lombardo is well on his way to succeeding.

n n n

Megan Smith is barefoot.

She stretches in her chair, cocks her head and listens intently. At 14, Megan is the youngest student in her creative writing class. A fact that, at first, intimidated her.

"I was scared," she said. "Being with all these people who were older and who wrote so much better. It was terrifying."

But Megan didn't run.