Summer Programs

Rising 9th-Grade Summer Experiences

Xanadu (Gifted and Talented Education STEAM program)

Xanadu is a Gifted and Talented Education enrichment program for Gifted students looking for academic challenge over the summer. Students are offered a variety of classes in all aspects of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) and are given opportunities at the end of a month-long session to share their accomplshments with their friends and family. At Xanadu I studied theatre, practiced my journalism skills by becoming the editor-in-chief of the Xanadu Magazine, and studied biology through the Dissection 101 course.

Rising 10th-Grade Summer Experiences

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp

This summer, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for their second high school student session. I flew by myself up to Michigan, and met artists in many different fields from all around the country and outside of it. The harp program was intense, but truly helped me to flourish as a harpist. I spent around 8 hours in lessons and rehearsals each day, and when I was not in lessons or rehearsals, I was gaining life enriching experiences such as watching the Blue Lake Staff Orchestra and Band perform a variety of pieces and symphonies. My time at Blue Lake drastically improved my technique and ability to perform as a soloist and ensemble member. I built strong bonds with my fellow harpists and formed strong camaraderie with my fellow campers. I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing a new teaching style under the instruction of Ms. Kate Sloat, and found her comments and assistance essential to my improvement. Overall, Blue Lake was a wonderful educational experience that I wish to relive next summer.

Rising 11th Grade Summer Experiences

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp

This summer at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, I learned effective practice techniques and resilience in the face of hardship within my artform. Alongside my UYHE classmate Annabelle An, our class (instructed by Michael Maganuco) focused on practical skills for orchestral harpists, including sightreading and effective practice techniques.

I prepared the a solo pic for the harp concert program through a minimum of three hours of solo practice and an hour long private lesson with our instructor each day. This piece taught me to improve my pedal work to reduce buzzing, remain calm in high pressure performance situations, and practice chunk by chunk rather than overhelming myself with mistakes by playing the whole piece on repeat.

Overall, the experience was highly informative, and I plan to return to Blue Lake as a counselor after I have completed my first year of college.

Rising 12th Grade Summer Experiences

Governor's Honors Program

The Governor's Honors program was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that developed my skills as both a writer and a thinker. After a lengthy application and interview process, of which only 6% of applicants pass, I was selected as a finalist for Georgia's Governor's Honors Program as a Communicative Arts major. Thus, I was invited to spend 6 weeks in the residential program on the Georgia Southern University campus. During my time with the program, I studied Journalism, discussed different kinds of devotional poetry ranging from Rumi to John Donne, and engaged in discourse on the intended audience of certain medias.

Alongside my studies in the uses and implications of the field of communicative arts, I also took a minor in Entomology, the study of insects. I learned important skills in the identification and humane collection of specimens for study. I familiarized myself with insects common to the southern Georgia region, including Assassin Bugs and Eastern Click Beetles.

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