Partnership Scholars Program encourages scholars to take advantage of their summer break by participating in academic and enrichment summer programs and this is the time of year when they start planning for the coming summer. We asked the scholars that participated in summer programs last year to share their experiences with us and they also recommend programs to scholars for this summer. These programs range from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth to Camp Mendocino and ballet programs.

Keep reading for the comments that our scholars had about their summers, where they did things ranging from rapping about economics to performing to studying about climate change and more.

A PSP 9th grader from Fort Bragg, Mireya,  went to Camp Mendocino over the summer. She says she chose to go to Camp Mendocino because she “heard a lot of good things” and she says, “I was previously nervous about being away from home and it helped me get over that “fear”. ” Mireya enjoyed spending time with new people and making friends at camp. She says, “I’d definitely recommend this to anyone that was interested in the outdoors and wouldn’t mind a few mosquito bites here and there. I’m sure anyone that goes would have a blast.” Mireya is spending her summer at Camp Mendocino and will also be interning at the Mendocino Coast District Hospital.

Roberto is an 11th grade scholar from Venice. He was a part of the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) program last summer. He says, “I was interested in this program because it was something new that I hadn’t been a part of before. When I read about the program and found out that I could take a class for three weeks on a college campus, I immediately knew that it was something that I could apply to and look forward to.” He shared, “My favorite memory of CTY was when my whole class performed a rap at the talent show my first year. It sounds very silly, but one assignment in the class was to write a rap about economics, which one student took very seriously and spent about three days writing his best version. We loved it so much that our class signed up to perform at the talent show. I remember everyone at the talent show smiling and enjoying the fact that we even agreed to do it. This memory of mine was completely different than what I had expected the camp to be before I got there. I thought everyone would be very serious about learning what they could in their class (which they were), but everyone was also there to have fun and create a relaxed learning environment that I enjoyed much more than school.” Roberto recommend the CTY program to all scholars. This summer Roberto will be performing with his high school marching band.
Norberto, a senior scholar from Lennox, shares about his experience in UC Santa Cruz’s summer COSMOS program. He says, “I was very interested in this program because I wanted to experience college life. The class that I took while at UC Santa Cruz  was called “California Earthquakes and Climate Change”, we analyzed the cause of both earthquakes and climate change.” He was able to spend his summer learning and making memories, he was ableto fit time to fun within his busy schedule. COSMOS organized opportunities for hikes, jogs, and kayaking and he says, “I would recommend this program to other scholars because it is a great way to experience how college life feels like. It is also a great way to meet people from different parts of California and make great friends.” This summer Norberto plans to start working as he’ll be starting college in the fall.

Russel, a 9th grade scholar from Fort Bragg, participated in the STEM, 2017 National Youth Leadership Forum. He says, “It was at a college so we got to stay in the dorms and see the campus the whole day.” He enjoyed hearing from guest speakers and professionals in STEM career fields. He would recommend the camp to students interested in STEM careers. This summer he will not be attending a summer program.

Hailee Y. is an 8th grader from Ukiah. She went to the School of Performing Arts & Cultural Education (SPACE) summer program last summer. She says, “I was interested in participating in the summer program because my friends who were in it inspired me to try it out.” Hailee has fun performing with new people and she was surprised with how fast she was expected to learn choreography. She says, “I would recommend this program to students who like getting out of there comfort zone or even just want to try to do something.” Hailee will be participating in the SPACE program again this summer because she enjoyed it so much last year.

Ignacio is an 8th grade scholar from Ukiah. He also went to the School of Performing Arts & Cultural Education (SPACE) summer program last summer. He says, “I enjoyed my time in SPACE a lot, since I got to meet and socialize with other people that have the same interests. I would recommend this to other scholars, since it is always good to get out of your comfort zone. My plans this summer don’t involve SPACE, but I would still like to try out new things.”