On June 12, thirty-four highly motivated young women moved into Eleanor Joy Toll Hall to participate in an academically intensive two-week residential program. The women, who attend public and parochial high schools from the greater Los Angeles and Inland Empire area, are participating in the Scripps College Summer Academy, now in its third year. Throughout their two weeks at the Summer Academy, participants experience living and studying in a private, liberal arts college. The program helps high potential, under-represented students succeed in high school and prepare for entrance into college.
The 13 students who participated in the inaugural year of Summer Academy graduated from high school this spring and all of them have been accepted for admission into prestigious schools across the nation, including Scripps, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, and UCLA. One student will be returning to Scripps this fall as a first year student.
Enrollment in the program, designed for women from racially and economically diverse groups, and first-generation college-bound students, is limited to ensure a quality academic experience. The student to faculty ratio is very low-4:1, seven Scripps professors for thirty students.
The Scripps Core program in part provided the model for the curriculum for the Summer Academy. With the mentorship of faculty and undergraduate students, Summer Academy students take intensive, interdisciplinary courses in liberal arts within the context of exploration of how culture shapes the social constructs of ethnicity, class, and gender.
In addition to the daily “mini-Core” classes, students participate in workshop sessions on topics such as SAT preparation, conflict mediation, financial aid options, and career choices. During their stay on campus, students also participate in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. This year, students are taking part in a workshop at the East Los Angeles Repertory Theater and visiting the garment workers center in Los Angeles.