The first thing Elliott Curtis and Jesse Chorng notice about each other is their vintage sneakers. From there, talk turns to DIY T-shirts, screen-printing, shoe-painting, and street style. Curtis, a social and decision sciences major from Boston, and Chorng, an economics major from L.A., bond over footwear at freshman orientation, then find themselves in the same first-year housing. Shared interests quickly turn into friendship, and friendship develops into a four-year creative and business partnership.

Early on, Curtis and Chorng teamed up to sell stenciled tees and custom-painted kicks. Then they devised Sneakerology 101 through Carnegie Mellon's Student College program, which lets students propose and instruct their own for-credit courses on any subject not covered by faculty.

"We saw Warcraft, poker, and figure-skating classes," says Curtis. With offerings as entertaining and diverse as those, the two figured, why not a class on their favorite pastime—sneakers? "Sneakers play a truly integral part in American consumer society, identity, and pop culture," says Curtis.

Curtis, a fast-talker with a spry athleticism, comes to sneaker culture from a basketball background, having played point guard for Carnegie Mellon. Chorng, an aspiring interactive designer with career-supporting bold, black glasses, is invested in footwear's artistic angle.

Curtis and Chorng first offered Sneakerology 101 in spring 2008 and again in spring 2009. They focused on history, design, manufacturing, marketing, and labor issues. The class received coverage in The New York Times and even on singer/rapper Kanye West's blog. It spun, too, into an annual Kicksburgh celebration and fundraiser in lieu of a final exam, and it culminated in the production of a limited-edition Sneakerology shoe, made possible through contacts Curtis established as a Reebok summer intern.

The chalkboard-inspired shoes, with Scottish plaid insoles in honor of Andrew Carnegie's heritage, were available exclusively at Kicksburgh 2009. All 101 pairs, priced at $75, were purchased, and proceeds benefited The Hill House, a Pittsburgh community center where Curtis regularly volunteered with the Carnegie Mellon basketball team.

Curtis and Chorng—who both graduated last May—realize that none of this would have been possible without Carnegie Mellon's unique Student College program that is dedicated to fields of study that fall outside the realm of traditional university fare.

"So many students come here with different interests but don't realize what's at their disposal," says Chorng. "We have woodshops, computer labs, digital media labs. Too many kids think because they're a science student—or an economics student, like me—they can't take advantage of all the multidisciplinary resources. They can."
Caralyn Green