What did you do over the summer?

There are countless ways to spend summer vacation; spending time with friends, catching up on summer reading, going on vacations, or just relaxing at home.  Many students at Samo choose to participate in summer programs. There are a variety of programs that tend to each student’s interests, and have helped determine future career options. Many teens participate in programs held at colleges, aimed at a certain subject or major. Others choose programs that teach core values and give travel opportunities. Sophie Golay (’19) went to a three week musical theater program at the Interlochen Center for the Arts located in Michigan. Since she was five, theater has been something she has truly loved. Golay has ambitions to pursue a career in musical theater, and found that Interlochen was the perfect place for her. The program taught students everything from dancing to auditioning for colleges. There were even guest speakers who performed on Broadway, ready to give to the ambitious teenagers real advice from their experiences. The main event, however, was a showcase that the whole program prepared for during the duration of the three weeks. A lot of work went into the showcase. Students had dance rehearsals during the day, and music rehearsals during the night. Golay was even featured in a tap dancing duet, a huge accomplishment. “Since I love musical theater so much the experience was worth it because I was around so many talented people and artists who were striving to improve, and to help me improve,” Golay said. “It was just nice to be in an environment where everyone was working hard.”The people Golay spent the three weeks with truly inspired her to work harder and reach for her dreams of musical theater. Everyone was motivated to do their best and learn more about musical theater. .cipated in a program for teenagers interested in the arts. Ng attended a Community Arts Partnership Summer Arts (CAPSA) program sponsored by Cal Arts, under Acting For The Camera. The arts is a broad genre of study, and many students find interest in them. Like Golay, Kenneth Ng (’18) participated in a program for teenagers interested in the arts. Ng attended a Community Arts Partnership Summer Arts (CAPSA) program sponsored by Cal Arts, under Acting For The Camera. The California Institute of Arts is a private university located in Valencia, California, and benefits students of visual and performing arts. This program gives students real experiences for the filming industry. The main goal of the program is to create compelling characters on screen. These characters are set to appear on  films, TV shows or web series. Students are given a glimpse of the film industry and all that it involves. “To start off each day we would do some warmup and vocal exercises to wake ourselves up, then we would get straight into learning,” Ng said. Students learned about different types of techniques to improve their acting skills. Ng also got real experience by being on professional production sets and feeling the demands of being an actor. Ng learned more about acting and his huge interest in it.  Going into his senior year, Ng realized how much the program contributed to his future and what he wanted to pursue as a career. “The whole experience was just amazing,” Ng said. “It was really fun, I made a lot of new and diverse people, and it made me realise that I would want to pursue a career in the film industry.”That being said, there are other subjects of interest other than art, some students like Ana Gibson (’18), chose to explore the medical field during her vacation. Gibson spent her summer at Camp Neuro, a camp all about neuroscience located at the USC Keck School of Medicine. Here, students learn everything about the human brain; from different diseases to how trauma occurs. The lessons were taught everyday by experienced medical school students. This taught Gibson what the daily life of a medical school student is like, given she might be one in the future. Gibson’s interest in neuroscience stemmed from her mother’s few back surgeries. These surgeries lead her to the brain, something she found more complex and fascinating. She is looking forward to learning more about the brain and all that it involves. Gibson is considering a career in neuroscience due to this experience and her immense interest on the subject. The program showed students their options if they choose to go into neuroscience in the future.  “It also exposed us to different sub fields of neuroscience- surgery, therapy and research, and how they all intermingle to help map out what we know of the brain, to help us learn more about ourselves through studying the brain,” Gibson said.The camp brought in a number of professionals to help the students learn more about the medical field. The professionals included a neurosurgeon, infectional disease expert and occupational therapist. These medical professionals guided the students through different occupations in the medical field and what each one involves. Through this Gibson not only learned about her future as a neuroscientist, but many other professions in the medical field as well. “I learned that the brain is a lot more complex than we currently know, and that learning about the brain can help us in understanding our past and future,” Gibson said. Students who participate in Camp Neuro and programs like it gain an incredible experience working with medical students who can teach them so much about the medical field. Just like Gibson, students can learn more about a topic they are interested in. Chloe Gottlieb (’18) explored her talents in writing this summer at Iowa University’s International Writing Program. This program brought people from Russia, the US, and Arabic-speaking states together for two weeks to explore a common interest: writing. Gottlieb’s time in this program consisted of workshops and seminars to improve each student’s writing. These workshops didn't have as many students as a typical classroom, making it easier for students to learn new things about writing. “It was amazing to take part in workshops/seminars that were small enough for everyone to have the attention they needed,” Gottlieb said. “I also have a lot of writing techniques and tips to help me further in life.”Gottlieb’s huge interest in writing made the program very beneficial to her. Working with students who had the same passion for writing helped her push herself and become a better writer. Although Gottlieb expanded her knowledge about writing a lot, she expanded her knowledge culturally as well. Since she participated in an international program, Gottlieb got to know people from different countries.“The two weeks were filled with a lot of growth as a writer, but also gave me the opportunity to learn firsthand about cultures I might otherwise have missed out on.” Gottlieb said. “I was able to learn firsthand about russian and muslim culture in a way I never could have before.”Getting to know the diverse group of people in her program changed Gottlieb’s life immensely. The international students shared their culture and personalities, giving Gottlieb a glimpse of the life of a teenager across the country, and perhaps, showing her how similar they truly are. International summer programs are beneficial to a student’s abilities and interests, but can also help them learn about other cultures and meet new people, like Gottlieb.Austen Ariniello (’18) spent his summer exploring the world of business in the Santa Monica Youth Tech program. This program involves improving skills in leadership, critical thinking, coding and creating a start-up. Ariniello spent the first week working as an intern to Santa Monica, then spent the following five weeks creating a business. Students from all neighborhoods in Santa Monica worked together to create their start-ups.“I was in a group that started a service that allows people to sign up for issues that they care about and they are informed about things they can do to help this cause.” Ariniello said.Throughout the program, students learn about the technology and business skills that go into creating a start-up business. Ariniello learned how to code a website and app, something extremely beneficial to future career options. He also worked on business plans for his start-up every day, getting a glimpse of what it would be like to work for a real business. A lot went into creating a business besides coding and business skills. Ariniello had to work with his group and collaborate, teaching Ariniello more about leadership to help his group succeed. These leadership skills will benefit Ariniello far past the summer, and even high school. “I think that ytp allowed me to become a better leader. It taught me how to delegate tasks, provide constructive criticism, and settle disputes among teammates.” Ariniello said.Participating in this summer program gave Ariniello a glimpse of the tech and business industry, making him consider choosing a job or major based on his interest in the program. With a start-up and coding skills under his belt, Ariniello is better prepared for his future. Emma Guerrini Romano (’20)  spent her summer overseas, doing her part to make a difference in our world. Romano participated in a two-week program called Rustic Pathways for the second year. Romano traveled to Huallampi, Peru to help the conservation of howler monkeys and teach school children English. The program encourages students to positively impact lives and communities all over the world. Travel is provided as a unique learning environment for students, opening them up to new experiences and ideas. Students are taught about their responsibility to positively contribute to the communities they traveled to. While Romano did teach school children English, she often found herself learning new lessons through this experience as well. She created a rare connection with her peers who experienced the whole program with her. Teaching the children English showed Romano how much her actions can truly make a difference.“I learned valuable lessons from not only my peers, but from the communities I worked in and helped out in,” Romano said. Spending time with the people in Huallampi and experiencing the culture really put things in perspective for Romano, learning more about the world we live in and the people in it. When she wasn’t helping the greater good, Romano was going on adventures with the program. The teens did things like zip lining and white water rafting, testing their boundaries. For Romano, summer programs abroad are very influential. Students can learn more about other countries, their people and their culture. Through these experiences, Romano was taught how she can have an effect on the world and its problems. “Summer programs abroad allow for students to expand their education culturally, which in my opinion is very important due to the times we’re living in where accepting other countries and people who aren’t like you is crucial to a student’s broader understanding of the world they’re living in and how they can directly make an impact.” Romano said.Students who participate in summer programs learn about who they are and who they want to be. From exploring career options to exploring the world, students are taught more about their future and how they want to leave an impact. O house advisor Maricela Gonzalez agrees that summer programs are beneficial to students, and explains how students can find out more through the school.“The reason I think summer programs are beneficial, [is] because I think that students can explore things that they may be interested in at that time,” Gonzalez said. “There’s a lot of programs not only on site, but things that we send out through our weekly updates, especially when it get’s closer to the summer.”