Summer Kinect: A Special Thank You!
By Francine Gorres, MD Programs Manager
Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff
Even though Summer is coming to an end, we are still remembering fond memories about our Summer Kinect program. As part of the Summer High School Program, high school students received workshops on college resources, college tours, and financial aid.
Students learned about net price calculators, campus life, classes and scheduling, student groups, and campus resources. Students also attended college visits to the University of Maryland College Park, George Washington University, Haverford College, Villanova University, and Johns Hopkins University. Students really enjoyed seeing the different colleges and started to compare the pros and cons of each school. For some students it was their first time participating in an official college tour! It was great to see them ask questions and engage with each of the tour guides during the college visits.
Last but not least, students also learned about financial aid through some really engaging and informative guest speakers:
We would like to thank Atin Mittra and his team from MADE Microfinance for coming out to teach our youth about personal budgeting! Many of the youth participated in a game that simulated budgeting with real life events such as losing a job, getting a raise, and paying students loans! The game was very interactive and even generated some very passionate responses from youth about how to spend and earn money. Overall, students had a great time and learned some lessons in how to implement smart spending habits to pay off student loans and expenses.
We would also like to thank Joy Yoo, Kevin Hirano, and Cecilia Marshall from the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund for coming in to teach our youth about student loans, scholarships, and the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Many of our youth are looking for scholarships to fund their college education and the workshop helped students to understand the basic elements of different kinds of financial aid. Students even participated in an essay writing workshop to help them prepare responses for scholarship applications!
This summer was jam-packed with fun, education, college, and leadership. To get an inside look, please stay tuned for a future blog on students’ reflections about their summer leadership journey with AALEAD!