Closing ceremonies for the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Academy summer session were held July 13. The 26 rising high school sophomores shared their work with family and friends and honored their teachers and mentors. Read this note for details and a slide show from the past four weeks of activities...
At the ceremony, ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ President Leo M. Lambert told the students they should be confident that a college education is in their future.
“You have the intelligence and every potential to do anything you want to do,” Lambert said. He told the students they are part of the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ community and invited them to attend events on campus throughout the upcoming year and be ready to return for next summer’s ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Academy residential session.
ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Academy director Deborah Long marveled at what happened to the “alpha class.”
“Wow! What a month we’ve had,” Long said. “The transformation for all of us has been beyond my expectations.”
Three students described the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Academy experience in remarks at the ceremonies.
“It feels like we’re really college students,” said Sarah Rawls, as she talked about the experience of having a roommate and living on campus.
Chris Glockson said enrolling in the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Academy was “one of the best decisions” of his life. “I truly feel this has changed my outlook on my life and on education within a four-week span,” Glockson said.
“It opened so many doors and is a great opportunity for me,” said Ana Valesaca.
The students paid tribute to each of the eight mentors and eight teachers at the academy, giving them a framed class photo.
ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Distinguished University Professor John Sullivan asked the students to support one another during the school year to help “keep the dream alive.” He asked the students to change their language from “If only I had this … or that” to “I have all I need in myself and those who love me to live a worthy life – right here, right now.”
Following the ceremony, the audience was invited to ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s Academic Village to see posters and Web portfolios the students had created.
The ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Academy is a three-year program for high school students in the Alamance-Burlington School system who have financial need or no family history of higher education. Students in the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Academy participate in a variety of academic courses and activities, including classes on writing, history, science and mathematics and technology. They also take field trips and receive one-on-one mentoring to plan for continuing their education after high school. ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ faculty, administrators and students are joined by other local educators in working with the students. The mission of the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Academy is to inspire academically oriented students, who are often underrepresented on college and university campuses, to pursue higher education, build leadership skills, and develop an active sense of social responsibility.
>>Click here to see photos of the students’ experiences over the past four weeks…