Summer Scholars is a Pre-College program here at Notre Dame for high schools students going into their junior or senior year. There are many different tracks that the students apply for, such as Psychology, Gender Studies, Archeology, and Law. For two weeks, these students are immersed in Notre Dame life. They spend six hours in class five days a week, eat most of their meals at the dining hall, and live in the dorms. The program is led by resident counselors, current Notre Dame students who act as RAs and organize events for the scholars. I have been fortunate enough to go through this experience as both a scholar and an RC.
In 2013, I was a Summer Scholar myself. I participated in the Gender Studies track with Dr. Palko and enjoyed every minute of it. We talked about the Disney princesses, the stereotypical ways in which children are raised and expected to act, the differences between sexes, and many other topics.
Outside of class, my RC, Jas, took us to get fro-yo, took us to the lake, tie-dyed t-shirts with us, and sat in section meeting talking to us for much longer than she was expected to. We had prayer services at the Grotto, masses in the Basilica, bookstore basketball games, trivia night, and so much more. I met one of my best friends, Becca, the first day we were here and we became instant friends. The two weeks I spent here at ND solidified my desire to go to school here.
I’m very #blessed to have been accepted to this wonderful place we all call home, and one of my first orders of business was to figure out when and how I could apply to be an RC for Summer Scholars.
When the application came out, I jumped right on it. I was interviewed and hired and couldn’t have been more excited to see Summer Scholars from the other side. I and the other RCs arrived a few days before the scholars so that we could get to know each other and build what has become an awesome team of people. We went through team building exercises, got stuck in a human knot, spent hours in the basement of Haggar talking about field trips, committees, and what to do when our students misbehave. Out of twenty-two RCs, nine of us were scholars and two were RCs in 2013, so a lot of us were already familiar with each other. I would consider all of my fellow RCs to be not just my friends, but my family.
As the program begins to wind down and come to a close, it’s interesting to compare my experience as a scholar to the experience I’ve had over the past two weeks. I’ve had just as much, if not more, fun being an RC as I did as a scholar.
When I have conversations with the scholars about their hopes and dreams for the future, I see a little bit of myself in them. The sparkle in their eyes, their enthusiasm, and the inevitable doubts and fears that they have all remind me of myself just two summers ago. Watching so many of them fall in love with Notre Dame makes me fall in love all over again. It’s been an inspiring and enlightening experience thus far and I’m excited to see what these last few days have in store.
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The HCND application is now open! For more information contact Rebecca Rogalski at rebeccarogalski@hercampus.com or Katrina Linden at katrinalinden@hercampus.com
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