Summer might seem like a time for kicking back and unwinding after the school year, but it’s actually a great opportunity to start building that resume to help you impress colleges, potential employers and scholarship committees with a resume of your experiences and activities! Your plans can be more than simply getting a summer job; there are a number of activities that can help you stay active and gain valuable experience over the summer months. Work, volunteer, travel, attend camp or take classes! All of these experiences will help you get to know yourself better and will prepare you to make decisions about your future!
Here are a few ideas to consider:
Thurston County Inclusion Summer Camp
Camp Counselors needed ages 14+
Our mission is to provide opportunities for individuals with and without disabilities to create, build and strengthen relationships that will last a lifetime.
A fast track to a high-demand career as a Professional Pilot or in the field of Aviation Operations Management! Earn high school and college credit FREE while taking a full schedule at your resident high school if you so choose.
Albers Summer Business Institute: Social Entrepreneurship
Website: https://www.seattleu.edu/business/centers-and-programs/summer-business-institute/
Do you have a high school student (currently in grade 9, 10, or 11) interested in entrepreneurship? Are they interested in experiencing college-level business, marketing, and economics classes? SBI is a great way for them to sample the instruction, interactions, and opportunities that business school offers.
Online summer enrichment program in STEM. This program is for highly motivated high schoolers and advanced middle schoolers. This program combines coding skills with biology and genomics, statistics and calculus.
2 - 4 week programs. These courses introduce students to a variety of fun and engaging topics in video game programming, art and animation, game design, engineering, and sound and music design — all while reinforcing their knowledge of core academic subjects like math, physics, art, and writing.
This program takes place in late June at Warm Beach Conference Center in Stanwood, WA. If selected to attend the local Post 3 of the American Legion Auxiliary will pick up the cost of this AWESOME leadership development opportunity! Also, this camp looks very favorable if students are interested in applying to any of the military academies! Limited to the first 300 students...apply today!
2023 Event - June 11-17, Central Washington University
ALA Evergreen Girls State is open for all junior and senior high school girls for 2023.
College scholarships available
Visit https://www.evergreengirlsstate.com/ to sign-up
Evergreen Girls State is a great leadership camp that is focused on citizenship. Students must have an interest in the government process and be involved in community service. Girls who attend Evergreen Girls State are then eligible to apply for further American Legion Auxiliary Scholarships! Also, this camp looks very favorable if students are interested in applying to any of the military academies!
Paging presents students with a unique educational opportunity to participate in the legislative process. Selection as a page is a great honor. Page duties are varied. They range from ceremonial tasks such as presenting the flags to operational chores like distributing amendments during legislative sessions. Each job is vital to the efficient operation of the Legislature. As the week-long experience draws to a close and pages return to their schools and communities, it is hoped that pages will share their experiences and observations with others in an effort to contribute to a more universal understanding of the legislative process.
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10-session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students grades 9-12 to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford University, students receive a personalized interdisciplinary learning experience with a student-teacher ratio of 4:1. Students with previous programming experience will be placed in an advanced
cohort, although no programming experience is required.
Do you dream of standing up in the Supreme Court and arguing a human rights case? Or negotiating an international treaty with UN representatives? Next summer you can do all this and more in London thanks to INVESTIN.
MultiCare Academy for students in Healthcare Camp
Are you a current high school sophomore or junior wondering what it would be like to be a nurse or allied health professional? MultiCare’s Annual Nurse Camp is your opportunity to explore these exciting careers — and thanks to gracious donations from a variety of community organizations and businesses, including MultiCare Health System, the MultiCare Nurse Camp is free. Apply now!
The Museum Apprentice Program (MAP) is a FREE year-round program that provides high school students with unique and exciting volunteer opportunities. During this program, students work on projects related to the museum field, education, oral histories, living history, documentary making and public service. Students who join MAP will learn about exhibit design, practice presentation and teaching techniques, and delve into aviation and space related topics.
This unique course provides the opportunity for students to explore the world of aviation while creating a base of aeronautical knowledge that pilots need to successfully pass the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot written exam.
Interest and aptitude for librarianship and literature; working with peer audiences; interest in research and writing, marketing, outreach, and public speaking. This is an intensive 3-week unpaid summer internship opportunity, during which you will learn about the Library and help the Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement develop and create teen-oriented content to support the 2022 National Book Festival. 2022 Application Deadline May 20, 2022
This is a great program with field trips to the military base and the State Capitol, guest speakers from state and local government, police and business, team building exercises, group projects, etc. There is a fee to apply and a fee to attend, but scholarships can be arranged for particularly motivated students.
Several exciting programs to choose from such as Video Game Programming, Culinary Arts, Drone Technology, Automotive Technology, School of Rock, and many more. Students receive 0.5 elective or CTE credit for each summer school session. Incoming freshmen through incoming seniors can attend.
A variety of classes and workshops for teens interested in film & video production.
Six scholarships (NOMINATION based), for one or two week backpacking, rock climbing or rafting expeditions.
A variety of summer programs hosted by colleges around the US.
TEENS ADVENTURE CAMP
For ages 12-17 to strengthen true outdoor skills and go on overnight sea kayaking and backpacking trips with a focus on environmental stewardship! Our camps are led entirely outdoors, exploring nearby parks, forests, beaches, trails, and rivers.
TEENS in THURSTON
Learn about conservation and sustainability, learn from Conservation District staff and other community partners, and build community between students from a variety of backgrounds. TnT volunteers will also have the opportunity to participate in (and potentially lead) events within Thurston County to improve environmental and watershed health. Join our TnT group today by joining one of our upcoming events or filling out the form below!
Interested in becoming a community partner? Fill out this form instead!
UW SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMS
UW Summer Youth Programs are designed for curious children and teens who want to keep learning over summer break. Every summer, we offer a variety of educational camps and courses to pique your child’s interests — from screenwriting to engineering and everything in between. Choose from half-day and full-day options. Most programs are held at the UW campus in Seattle. High school students also have the option of taking courses in downtown Seattle or Bellevue.
UW LAB DATA TRAINING PROGRAM
A summer series in data science, brain cell analysis, and professional development to introduce students to cutting edge research from real scientific methodologies taught by the scientists. A free online training program this summer for high school students to learn about science.
A week-long summer program that places high school students in a dynamic simulation where they compete as industry professionals, sharpen communication skills, and face real-world challenges.
With Wave Learning Festival, the educational opportunities are limitless. Tune into seminars designed for middle and high school students covering every topic imaginable, particularly those not found in a traditional classroom. Attend tutoring sessions for personalized help with coursework. Drop by a speaker panel highlighting the experiences of industry leaders, professionals, and scholars. There’s a space for everyone at Wave!
WESTERN AEROSPACE SCHOLARS PROGRAM
Click Here For More Info
For students who are Juniors in the Fall - designed for high school students interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pathways through the exploration of space and space travel.
WILD GRIEF CAMP
We facilitate peer groups for children and adults who are grieving a death by creating the space for sharing, connection, and healing in nature.
Who: 13-18 year olds who have lost someone significant.
When: Spring & Summer.
What: Multi-day backpacking trip.
Unique learning experiences that you can’t get in school but companies need you to have.
Consider Taking a Pre-College Program
An increasing number of selective colleges are beginning to scrutinize how applicants spend their summers during high school. Some parents, in response to this trend, have blown thousands of dollars on summer programs that may provide for an enriching experience, but do little to distinguish their child from the rest of the applicant pool. Today, the majority of competitive colleges offer at least one pre-college program inviting high school students to explore campus, visit with faculty, and even take courses during the summer months. Most summer programs are nothing more than “cash cows” and will accept any high school student able to pay the bill. Participation in these summer programs will be viewed by your prospective colleges as evidence of wealth, rather than evidence of any special ability—even if these programs happen to be offered on an Ivy League campus. As such, they do NOTHING to improve your admission prospects.
However, there is a growing minority of selective summer programs that select high achieving high school students strictly on the basis of merit. A number of these programs are offered for free or at a relatively low costs, and will prove an impressive addition to your college application. The following is a list of top summer programs for high school students:
Yale Young Global Scholars
Note that participation in one of these “best summer programs” is not essential to earn admission into a selective college. For example, spending your summer at a local job or internship, or completing a for-credit college course, can prove just as impressive. However, students seeking an exciting summer experience outside their area, while improving their college applicant profile in the process, are advised to explore the above.
Students seeking assistance with their summer program search, and with their college applications, are encouraged to meet with us in the College and Career Readiness Center or with your Counselor.