Summer 2017: Summer Springboard at Yale
This year we welcomed two cohorts of students at Yale who were eager to begin their exciting two-week pre-college experience on the historic campus. Each session started with orientation and some teambuilding and ice-breakers to get to know one another. We were delighted to see the students connecting so quickly and excited to discover what the students will learn in the next days!
During the mornings we broke out into small groups based on the student’s Academic Tracks. During this time the students got a chance dive deep into the subject area of choice with engaging professors and professional experts. The Medicine & Public Health and Business track students met with local dentist Jeralyn Frantarella and held lively discussions on the application and cross-section of medicine, entrepreneurship, technology and business. Communications students visited the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford and immersed themselves in the life and history of one of the country’s most beloved and controversial authors. Law & Government and Psychology students had the opportunity to observe a sentencing trial in a criminal case and afterwards met with the judges from the Superior Court of New Haven. Their honors shared insights into their careers and led a discussion on the role of mental health in the criminal justice system. Our Technology students heard from directors of UCONN’s tech incubator about career strategy and how the university matches its resources with investors to help launch start-ups in various sectors.
Afternoons consisted of either a “The True You” session or a guest speaker together as a group. These are a series of insightful seminars that allow teens to look inward and discover their unique definition of success and give them the tools to achieve it and big ideas that are practical, impactful, and easy to apply to everyday life.
All students enjoyed a session with Craig Matters, former Managing Editor of Money Magazine and founder of CNN Money. Craig took time to share career advice based on his own personal and professional journey. The students were engaged with their peers and prompted questions for experts that led to some insightful and intriguing conversations!
On the weekend, each group volunteered at the Connecticut Food Bank and prepped thousands of pounds of boxes for citizens in need while learning about the issue of hunger. We also explored Boston by land and by sea, taking in a tour by “duck boat” and walking the historic “Freedom Trail.”
Every night we planned fun activities for our students. Some of the highlights included trivia night, arts & crafts, karaoke and an ice cream social! Happy, healthy and making friends from around the world at Yale. These fun times with students and staff made for an unforgettable summer!
The program ended with student presentations. Each group presented what they learned about their potential majors and academic areas of interest. We had many great projects including potential businesses, mobile apps, medical hypothesis and more! Pictures, hugs, smiles, and some tears happened as goodbyes were being said. We were thrilled to see the strong friendships that were made among the students and excited to see what the future holds and to be able to continue in sharing their future successes!
