Access’ Summer Scholars Academy Hits the Road

Summer Scholars Academy, our immersive weeklong college experience for rising high school seniors from Access, Loyola Academy, and Marian Middle School took an exciting new twist this year — students traveled to Chicago to get a glimpse of college life outside of St. Louis! During two sessions of the program (one run by Access, the other by Saint Louis University School of Education), groups toured Loyola University Chicago, the University of Illinois Springfield, Dominican University, and Concordia University. The unique opportunity allowed scholars to experience different campus environments and envision their future college journeys away from home.

While in St. Louis, scholars lived in the dorms at Fontbonne University and Saint Louis University and engaged in a week of educational and developmental activities that included: English and chemistry classes, career exploration, college essay writing, ACT/SAT prep, and scholarship and financial aid counseling. They also participated in mock interviews, networked with business professionals, attended a college fair, and engaged in sessions on banking, financial literacy, and social media and branding. Overall, both sessions enjoyed an incredible week of growth, learning, and fun!

Thank you to the volunteers who joined us for the speed interviewing and networking events, as well as to Fontbonne University, Saint Louis University, our partners at Marian Middle School and Loyola Academy, and our Graduate Support and College & Career teams for putting this transformative program together.