Testimonials
Summer 2009
To view photos taken by students on their summer projects, click on the media gallery module to the right.
Sophia Jin '10
For my AMIGOS experience, I chose to go to Boaco, Nicaragua (they have multiple locations all over Latin America) for a six week program. I stayed at a host family's house with my partner in a 50 person community called Aguas Calientes. We were the only two foreigners there, my partner Claire being the third Caucasian that they'd ever seen and me being the first Asian they'd ever seen. We had no running water, no toilets, no showers, no fans/air conditioning (in the 90+ degree weather every single day!), no internet, and no phone service. I'm sure many people are wondering why I chose to do such a thing, and I definitely surprised my parents and everyone else i knew, but I chose to do it for that exact reason. I've lived all over the world, but always in the "same" environment with the same material comforts I'm used to. I've never really learnt to live according to someone else's culture, and I really wanted that experience (maybe without the 97, yes 97 mosquito bites).
Our roles as volunteers involved teaching workshops at the local elementary school for two hours a day with different weekly themes, such as Theatre and Personal Expression, Children's Rights, Team- building, Arts and Crafts, and Conflict Resolution. We had a two room school house, one room housing grades 1-3 and the other grades 4-6, although the ages were all over the place (e.g. we had a 15 year old fifth grader). In addition to the workshops, we worked on a big project together with the entire community. We facilitated community meetings where they decided what they would want to improve in their community, and we decided on building a well so that people would have access to clean water. The entire time I was there, I only met two children who had a clean bill of health; all the others had some variation of heart, liver, or kidney disease. Everyone volunteered their labor, and since we only had limited funds, we held fundraising fiestas and raised enough to cover half the cost of the well! It was really sad for me to go at the end of the six weeks and leave my host family and all of the kids that had adopted me (and forced me to play "blind chicken" 12 times a day with them), but when a member of the community would go into the city, they would go to an internet cafe and email me! The last one that I received just told me that they finished constructing the well! I know many people who participated in AMIGOs are making plans to go back and visit, which really speaks for their experience there.
I think that it's definitely what you make of it. Volunteers are not guaranteed to have a good time, and actually I spent the first three weeks feeling miserable and counting down the days till I could get back. It didn't change my life, but it can be life changing. I would say definitely look into it, because if it's a good match for you, you'll love it!
Isabel Elson '12
ARCC does trips all of the world varying from countries like England to countries like Kenya. This summer I decided to go to Thailand. I had never been to Asia before and had always been interested in visiting Thailand. The program I chose to do was a community service program but it incorporated blue water activities as well as the usual touristy stuff. In the cities: Bangkok, Chang Mai and Pai, we stayed in hotels and visited the cities during the day. We went to many temples in the first few days and although at first very interesting, it got a little old after the fifth! Among some of the other activities in the cities were visiting a tiger farm, riding elephants (picture attached), visiting the night market and learning to haggle, attending a Thai cooking class where we learned to make dishes like Pad Thai and spring rolls. We went on a 2 day rafting trip as well. We rafted to a campsite where we slept on mats covered in mosquito nets in little bamboo shacks. Although it was an uncomfortable night's sleep we had a lot of fun during the day! The last week of our 4 week adventure we spent on a paradise island just off the coast called Koh Tao. Here we learned to scuba dive over a 5 day intensive course of 2 dives a day. By the end of it we were all certified divers!
Interspersed with the tourist activities were the two service projects. The first was in a hill tribe village of Chang Mai. The room where all fifteen of us slept had no electricity and had a squat toilet in the corner of the room. The experience was.. well... interesting but it definitely expanded my comfort zone! During the day we worked at the village school. There we taught an English class, painted the nurse's office, planted a garden and even made fertilizer (officially my worst part of the whole trip!) The other service project we did was at an orphanage. We organized a English camp where the children would learn a few words of basic english through fun and games. These four days were the most fun. We all formed really close bonds with the kids and were really upset to have to leave.
I would definitely recommend this program. I had never done anything like this before and although at times I was very uncomfortable, the experience was one that I will never forget. If you go to Thailand with your family you tend to do the tourist vacation. Yes you get to see all the sites but you don't really get immersed in the culture like I did on this trip.
Kerry Lanzo '11
For one week this summer, I got to live in a dorm on the beautiful Georgetown campus, taking a condensed version of what would be an Intro to International Relations class at the highly regarded School of Foreign Service. Not only did I get a feel for what it be like to attend Georgetown University itself, but having SFS students living with us and directing us through our discussions, I learned a lot about the university and the opportunities and options available in International Studies in general. We wasted no time through the week, between lectures, discussion sections, and trips to embassies. Specifically, I visited the Ethiopian Embassy to the US and talked with their Ambassador, mostly about their affiliation with the Somalian conflict and their own internal struggle with poverty.
The head of the program is an award-winning, much loved professor/head of the International Studies Graduate Program, Anthony Arend, a former practicer of International Law and famed author. We were counseled by a group of SFS students from the university in small discussion groups every day following lectures; the lectures were given by a variety of professors, authors, friends of the university and government employees from the DC area. A few of the highlights were an exciting talk given by an undercover agent from the CIA in charge of recruiting foreign government spies on the American defense and intelligence system, a debate between two acclaimed economists, educators and fighters for human rights, lawyers defending international law, and various other specialists on terrorism, piracy, nuclear proliferation, etc. The session ended with a nearly-Model-UN-like two day crisis simulation on the issue of Somalia as a failed state, lacking an effective government and ridden with poverty, internal conflict, and piracy. The point was to apply the concepts we had learned from the various lecturers and our discussions and formulate strong arguments and cooperation with a strong foundation of knowledge.
I would highly recommend this program for anyone interested in the university or in working in IR in any capacity. The program is not just for Model UN fanatics or budding lawyers; it is extremely comprehensive, as it is an abbreviated curriculum.
John Ingram '11
SOCAPA is a two or three camp that offers programs in filmmaking, acting, photography, and dancing. They have locations in Los Angeles, New York City, and Vermont. I went to the location at Occidental College in Los Angeles for a three week filmmaking program and quite frankly, I had a blast. During the day we had classes on filmmaking techniques, writing, learning how to use the video cameras, and editing. Although there is classes, they were fun. Each week, we wrote, shot, and edited our own movie.
Besides learning about movies, my two other favorite parts were the people and the weekends/night life. Every night we had some activity. We went to downtown Pasadena and other towns, movie theaters, Dreamworks Studios, Universal Studios, Hollywood, an improb show, and etc. All the people at the camp, councilors and students, were extremely nice and I am still in touch with the friends I made there.
I would definitely recommend this program for those who, like me, were new to filmmaking (I can't speak for the acting, photography, or dancing camps of the program since I did not participate in them). It was a great way to get introduced to the basics of film, being able to go through the entire process of writing, shooting, and editing a movie.
Stephanie Liu '11
While in Germany, I stayed with a host family in Nürnberg for about one month and attended Martin Behaim Gymnasium (a high school) with my host sister, who is the same age as I am. I took classes in German language, German history, politics, and music. In addition, I also followed my host sister in her later classes. The group of thirteen American students who attended Martin Behaim went on cultural excursions in Nürnberg, Munich, and Regensburg. On each trip, we visited cultural sights, studied the breath-taking architecture, and learned pieces of German history. When we visited the Nürnberg city hall, I gave a short speech to a city official on behalf of the group, thanking the German government for its hospitality.
One of the highlights of the trip was a one-week stay in Berlin. While in Berlin, we visited famous sights such as the Pergamon Museum, DDR Museum, Jüdisches Museum, the Berlin Wall, the Jewish Memorial, the Parliament, Sony Center, Schloss Cecilienhof, Schloss Sanssouci, and the Brandenburger Tor. Outside of academic sight visits, our German chaperone also introduced us to amazing restaurants in Berlin, shows, stores, and more.
Although I was busy speaking German and learning about history, I enjoyed many special moments with my newly-made German and American friends, as well as with my host family. For example, my host family took me to the Nürnberg Zoo, a horse farm, the Schwimmbad (swimming complex), and a carnival. I also visited my host sister's grandparents' house, where I enjoyed authentic German food. On the last evening of the stay, which the school dubbed as "American Evening," the American students performed skits and songs intending to link American and German culture. Much to the delight of the German audience, I performed several American folk songs on the violin, and the whole group sang German songs together. My favorite aspect of the trip was staying with a host family; I felt as if I was truly a part of the family. I guess the most important thing I learned during my trip was how to open myself up to adventure and seize the resulting moments that came my way before they could slip away unnoticed.
I would definitely recommend this program for any dedicated German students who are interested in applying. The application process is long and requires the National German Exam, a teacher recommendation, application essay, and an interview. The association awarded about 44 scholarships among about 26,000 students who competed. However, there are also many self-paid study programs that are probably equally educational.
Timothy Arena '12
ACE
I had a great time at ACE. It was a lot of work, but was definitely worth it. It allowed me to go into 320 math and has been extremely helpful with chemistry. I made a lot of new friends and met some great teachers. As a day student, the program allowed me to experience boarding life. I am gluten free and the chefs at ACE were able to accommodate my diet. The setting for the program was excellent. ACE was held in Colorado. I usually stay around New England during the summer, so going to Colorado was an excellent experience for me. The weekend trips were great as well. The afternoon activities were also a lot of fun. I took glassblowing the first half of the program and ceramics the second half. I enjoyed both activities and only wished we had more time in them.
Jane Chen '11
Independent Project
Although I am Chinese, I was born in Canada and moved to the USA when I was 1 years old. In one word I guess you can describe me as a banana. I'm yellow on the outside, but white on the inside. However over the summer, I went to China for the first time. At my stay in China I did a community service project first in Xi' An where I taught English to a couple of elementary and middle school classes. It was strange seeing so many kids just like me in skin color, but completely different on the inside. However, I realized how similar they were to me. Watching them jabbering away in fast Chinese and replying back in my awful, stumbling Chinese made it hard to communicate at first on the first day, but on the second we were already talking about our favorite tv shows and movies. On kid even commented how much I resembled Violet in "The Incredibles". We communicated not on the words completely, but through the smiles, hand gestures, and our fierce determination to understand each other.
After a week at the school, I went to another, less fortunate school with three other students. It was in an extremely rural China, where the toilets were all squats. We lived with a local family in one room and taught classes for about three weeks. We made powerpoints about American holidays, occupations, sports, as well as the daily life of a student and worker. We exposed the curious kids with all kinds of American traditions as well as what life was like in America. It really touched me such bright and talented the kids had such little opportunities. Visiting my mother country for the first time was a huge experience for me, and teaching kids of my own ethnicity about a strange, foreign country gave me an experience that I will never forget.
I would definitely recommend this project. There are so many unfortunate schools in China in need of someone to teach them about America and expose them to opportunities. I love working with kids and being the teacher rather than the student was a great experience for me.
Mollie Lee '10
Yale Summer Session - Conservatory for Actors
This was most definitely the highlight of my summer, and perhaps the best summer program I have ever done. It was a 5 week program at Yale University, where everyone stayed in Yale dorms, proctored by Yale students. I applied to this summer session because I had always been interested in theatre and dramatic studies, but haven't had much experience. The 50 enthusiastic actors from New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Turkey, Hong Kong, and numerous other places were divided in to 4 sections, with one class specializing in Shakespeare only (who took an additional class in Stage Combat). We took 6 classes taught by the highly selective Yale School of Drama grad students and alumni. Each class concentrated on a specific area of theatre, including Text Analysis taught by renowned dramaturge Jane Ann Krum, Acting, Voice and Speech, Movement, Improvisation, and Scene Study. It was clear from just the way the teachers talked about theatre that it was something that they are passionate about. As for my fellow classmates, I formed so many priceless friendships through this program. This diverse group of people had equally diverse acting backgrounds, with someone who does occasional school plays, someone who worked with an acting coach since age 3, someone who was in LOST, and someone who was a part of a Japanese-Ukrainian fusion theatre troupe. It was surprising how quickly everyone got comfortable with each other and overcame their on-stage fears of making a fool of themselves, becoming very emotional, and being in a vulnerable position. We all learned an incredible amount about not only theatre, but also about who we are as people. Not to mention all the fun we had in classes, at the beach, late night at the library, at field trips, in the dorms, and all around New Haven. And the last day of summer session rolled in all too quickly, only to be met by students reluctant to leave. Saying bye to everyone was very tearful, but we all promised to keep in touch, and we have all kept that promise!
I recommend this program to anyone who has the slightest interest in acting. I cannot recommend it enough, and have nothing negative to say about it.
Marie Liu '12
This past summer I spent five weeks studying and traveling in China.
Four weeks were spent in Beijing, China, during which we intensively improved our Chinese language and speaking skills, as well as going to many different places, including The Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven,a migrant children's school, and hiking the Great Wall. During these four weeks spent in Beijing we also had host families we ate dinner with 2 nights a week, but they were more than just host families; they became very good friends whom I am still in touch with today. Part of our experience incorporated our language skills and our people skills: the ILPs (Integrated Learning Projects). As part of our ILPs, once a week we had to go out and interview different people about various things important to Chinese culture, learning more aboutChina and its people.
The fifth and final week of our stay in China was spent traveling in Yunnan province, known as the countryside of China. There, we experienced rural Chinese life, while still being able to practice our Chinese and meeting many new, interesting people. While in Yunnan we were able to hike a mountain, visit a Tonka painting museum, and visit a Tibetan monastery. We also spent part of a day at a children's orphanage, where we were able to play and make dumplings with the children, who I must say were incredibly sweet and endearing.
Overall my experience in China is one I could never forget; I learned so much there, and not all of it about the Chinese language. I was able to bond with people who were in the program and native Chinese people, spend time in exciting Beijing and beautiful Yunnan province, and see and do many things I never would have normally done. For this I am extremely grateful. I highly recommend this program, because it was a truly memorable, rewarding experience.
Julia Quinn '11
Rustic Pathways is a community-based program that has a variety of service opportunities all over the world. For about 2 weeks this summer, I went to Costa Rica with my friend from school, Sage Hunt. We stayed on a farm in Talamanca, Costa Rica, an extremely poor region of the country. The Bri Bri tribe of Talamanca is one of the last indigenous tribes in Costa Rica. Sage and I painted and helped construct classrooms in the Bri Bri village and also helped out on the farm that we were staying on. In our off-time, we learned how to surf, adventured to the waterfalls, and interacted with the natives. I would fully recommend this program to any student looking to have a great time while helping others and making friends!
Katie Hebb
The unique thing about Lifeworks trips is that they are all community service based. The trips give you around 100 hours of service work over three weeks. I chose to do the one in Ecuador and the Galapagos because I had never been to South America before, and I was really excited to go to the Amazonian rainforest. It was a group of about 20 kids with 3 leaders, and everyone was amazing! The kids were totally normal, and they were there because they wanted to be, not because they were forced to by their parents.
We spent a couple of days in Quito at first, doing some sightseeing and getting to know eachother. We stayed at youth hostels or cheap hotels throughout the trip, which wasn't as bad as it sounds. Some of them were pretty gross, but we were almost never in the rooms so it was bearable. After Quito we spent 2 weeks in the Galapagos on 2 different islands. We worked most days, but on our days off we took boat trips to other islands, or went kayaking. Our service projects included clearing invasive species like blackberry bushes, measuring and weighing turtles, cleaning local schools and painting murals, and picking up trash in the nature reserves. The work was hard, but because the kids were so great it ended up being fun. While we worked we would joke around or listen to ipods. In the evenings and afternoons we would walk to breathtaking beaches, play soccer with the locals, or go join in with the town festivals. For the final part of the trip we went to the Ecuadorian Amazon for 5 days. It was so different from anywhere I have ever been, but it was totally memorable. We worked on an island where there are two projects, one was a one room school, and the other focused on reintroducing monkeys from captivity into the wild. It was very hard work, and we got really hot and muddy, but it was a totally unique experience, and incredible to see that these people actually live in the middle of no where, three hours by boat to the nearest town.
I would definitely recommend this program. It was a great combination of working hard and making a difference, having a fun and relaxing vacation, and learning a little bit about an incredible part of the world.
Jenny Zhou
Having the opportunity to give tours at Massachusetts's own official state house definitely made my summer a wonderful one. Although at first it was difficult and extremely tedious to memorize all these facts, know all the dates of the sculptures/paintings/different rooms, and pretty much prepare for any question that a tour group may ask you, it was such a rewarding experience. At the same time I was able to inform others about Massachusetts's state history through the sculptures, I was given the opportunity to meet scholars from Germany, exchange students from France and Spain who shared their stories and the differences in their government compared to our nation's. I met so many fellow tour guides from all around Massachusetts, some from as far as 2 hours away on the train who would come in just to take advantage of this spectacular opportunity, I made so many new friends. In addition, the state house building is beautiful and being able to walk around every day with people from all around the world, telling them about the interesting history and facts about our legislation is just a chance of a lifetime.
I would definitely recommend this program to anybody who likes history, wants to improve their public speaking skills (some tour groups could get up to 40 people), wants to make a little money (if you're a good tour guide, you get tipped!), or has a desire to meet people from all over the world.
Matthew Renner
This past summer I spent 7 weeks at one of the world's greatest schools, Harvard University. Each summer since I started at Phillips Academy I have been busy with learning and trying new things. Junior summer was ACE Scholars Program, Lower summer was the Burgos, Spain trip, and this past summer was Harvard. Some of you may think I'm insane. Why would I ever want to waste most of my summer on school and miss out on vegetating for 3 1/2 months? Let me share with you my experience at Harvard and hopefully you will understand.
When I decided to go to Harvard SSP '09, I wanted to take classes that would help me become a better artist, while letting myself integrate into the full Ivy League University experience. With this being said, my classes where a bit different than most of the summer school students (the majority taking Law & Psychology). Each student gets to take two 4 credit classes or one 8 credit course (very high demand). I took "Works on Paper" and "Drawing into Painting" for a total of two classes and 8 undergraduate credits.
If you love PA teachers, then there is no doubt you would love the professors at Harvard, they all love to teach and are incredibly gifted. During the first week of classes, we were given the option to "shop" for classes, which means that even though you are signed up for a certain course, you can go to another course for the first couple of days to see which course you would rather be in. I shopped around and did a day in Astrobiology and a day in Law & Psychology. The classes were very interesting, but I knew they weren't necessarily for me. I stuck with the two art classes that I signed up for and had a great time.
My teachers were innovative and pushed me to my limits in art. I realize now that without this experience, my art would be lacking in depth and meaning. My painting teacher taught be to "paint the painting, not the object." I will forever remember this advice and take it with me to wherever I go with art.
I would 100% recommend this program to anyone who loves the Boston area, and to anyone who wants to get the ultimate taste of college classes and experiences. I will always cherish the friendships I made at Harvard, it was truly an unforgettable experience.
NOTE: To anyone who is worried about financial aid, make sure you get your paperwork in EARLY. I received $4,950 for a coverage of classes tuition, boarding not included.
Serena Gelb '10
I've always wanted to go to Ireland and when I saw the Cow House Studios booth last spring I jumped at the opportunity. As our car slinked through the twisty streets, up and down the hills of rural Ireland, I excitedly anticipated the coming weeks. As we pulled into an open, gravelly driveway, a flurry of dogs rushed to meet us. My mom and I were promptly escorted to the kitchen and fed home-made wedding cake and milky, sweet black Irish tea.
After my mom left, I set out to explore the farm and met Frank and Rosie (who run the program), as well as Rosie's parents (her mom baked us homemade bread each morning) and sisters. All of the art is done in a large studio, recently converted from a barn. Each student got a sketchbook that we decorated and we had daily lessons for our three week stay. Breakfast began at 9:00am and we all had to congregate in the studio by around 9:30am. We had drawing in the mornings, followed by a break and then some sort of activity. We had the opportunity to paint with oils, learn to stretch our own canvases and practice charcoal drawings of life models.
Each day was intense but also very fun. I consider myself more of a drawing/painting person, than a photography person artistically. However, we each had to learn to use the darkroom and develop black and white pictures. I ended up making friends with the darkroom, but wasn't one of the kids who stayed there all night long.
We went on a few field trips, including a two-day stint in Dublin, where we visited many museums (despite the constant rain) and County Kerry. I really loved my time there and recommend this program to those who really love art and can do it all day long. Also, prospective candidates should have a certain amount of outdoorsy-ness, as the farm is pretty rugged and we have to climb some fences and such.
Ceylon Auguste-Nelson '12
The Road Less Traveled - Gulf Coast
Over the past summer I went to New Orleans as part of the Road Less Traveled organization. I was there with around 16 other students aged from 15 - 17 for two weeks. Community service was the main goal of our trip, to help rebuild houses destroyed in Hurricane Katrina four years. As we drove through the sites that were hit the hardest, such as the Ninth Ward, a neighborhood situated right next to the levees, we were able to see just how much destruction had taken place, motivating us to work our hardest. The building including putting up drywall, mudding seams of walls together, painting etc. The days were long and EXTREMELY hot and humid but we had fun working, and always knew there would something fun to do later on.
The trip exposed us to New Orleans culture as well as the needs of the city. We went to Reservation Hall, a famous jazz hall in the heart of the city. In addition, we sampled the tasty foods New Orleans is known for: jambalaya, gumbo, beignets, snow cones and more. We also visited a zoo and an aquarium on the weekends. On some days we also went to work in a local community center, giving out food to homeless and needy. We were able to talk to local residents, who were all very welcoming and happy to have us (some even invited us to their house for Fourth of July!)
Overall the experience was very rewarding, and by the end, the 16 of us went from being awkward and shy to a big, caring family.
Keely Henesey
China Prep
Over this summer I went on a China Prep trip for four weeks, traveling to six cities including Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Yangshuo, Long Ji and Shanghai. Although we saw all of the major tourist sights - the Great Wall, terra cotta soldiers, and rice terraces among others - what really made this trip special were the less mainstream activities we did. For example, one of my first escapades in China was our journey to the Pearl Market in Beijing. When bargaining for a fake wallet with my friend, the women said, "This is BEST quality, BEST quality." And all of a sudden, without warning she whipped out a lighter, and my friend and I had no idea what was going on, looked at each other terrified and responded, "Ok, ok, we'll buy it." Then she lit the lighter, and we both took a step back, and finally, she held the fire up to the bag stating, "BEST quality. No plastic, no melting." This whole idea of being screamed at while bartering was completely new to me, and that was when I truly realized I was in China.
An additional shopping experience, was our trip to the fabric market in Shanghai. It was one of our last stops on the trip and was a fantastic experience. For the equivalent of fifty-four American dollars, I had a blazer and a dress made with my measurements. They both were delivered to our hotel and the dress - made out of a pale blue thai silk, with a flawless fit - is what I've decided to wear to Blue and Silver. Another major highlight of the trip was definitely dancing with the elderly in the summer palace. Even though we didn't speak their language, they were all so welcoming and happy to include us, as well as teaching us some of their traditional dances and music.
In summation, I would say that my experience with China Prep was not only positive, but also changed my outlook on the world, and therefore I would suggest it to anyone.