Access Expands Summer Scholars Academy

Last summer, Access’ Summer Scholars Academy took a major step forward by introducing overnight college visits—a first for the program. This year, we built on that momentum with another exciting step: For the first time, the immersive weeklong college experience welcomed rising juniors and seniors, doubling the number of student participants and deepening the program’s impact.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Boniface Foundation and the collaborative efforts of the Grad Support Teams at Access, Loyola Academy, and Marian Middle School, 80 students spent a week living on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). Forty juniors and 40 seniors stayed in the dorms, ate in the dining hall, and experienced a full schedule of workshops, panels, college tours, and social events designed to build skills and experience college life firsthand.

The week kicked off with a joint welcome luncheon and keynote address from Shalia Ford of FOCUS St. Louis, followed by campus tours, icebreakers, and a student panel featuring college students and Boniface Scholars. From there, juniors and seniors split into parallel tracks:

• Juniors focused on ACT preparation, financial literacy, college life readiness, goal-setting, and self-care. A midweek “Real World: College Edition” activity taught practical life skills like budgeting and managing student schedules.
• Seniors refined their college essays, sharpened interview skills, and participated in a speed networking session with local professionals. Additional sessions covered scholarships, AI literacy, personal branding, and career exploration.

Both groups came together midweek for a Student Activities Fair featuring breakout tables on extracurriculars, campus jobs, and leadership opportunities. The day wrapped up with a talent show and TikTok challenge at the university’s theater.

The final two days were all about college exploration. Juniors stayed local, visiting Blackburn College and Southwestern Illinois College, before celebrating with an off-campus evening of laser tag, go-karts, and bowling. Meanwhile, seniors hit the road for a multi-day trip to Chicago, touring Northern Illinois University, University of Illinois Springfield, and Aurora University, with a special evening at Navy Pier to relax and have fun.

Another highlight this year was the return of several Access alumni to serve as resident assistants (RAs)—mentoring students, facilitating activities, and helping lead activities. It was awesome to see former scholars giving back, sharing their college journeys, and inspiring the next generation to dream big.

We are deeply grateful to them and all the volunteers who joined us for the speed interviewing and networking events, as well as to SIUE, our partners at Marian Middle School and Loyola Academy, and our Graduate Support and College & Career teams for making this expanded program such a meaningful and valuable experience for our scholars. We can’t wait for next year!