Students Should Say Yes to Summer Experiences

By Sophie Boyatt ('26), Student Contributor

 At St. Agnes Academy, we encourage our students to expand their horizons in the summer! Whether it is taking on a new job, exploring a volunteer opportunity, engaging in a cultural exchange program, or participating in a summer program through a college or business, each student can grow and learn through these experiences. Our Student Contributor, Sophie Boyatt, spent the past two summer at universities pursuing creative writing opportunities. Below she describes what she learned and the importance of challenging yourself to try something new.

If you were to ask any Upper School student at St. Agnes what she looked forward to the most about summer break, she would probably say vacationing with her friends and family or relaxing at home. Ultimately, she’d be taking a break from the thing that keeps her the busiest: school. And while having a break from school is nice and necessary for a young lady's success, some of us actually find it to be a bore!

I, for one, can speak on behalf of some teenagers (not all) in saying that we miss school during extensive breaks like summer. Overall, school is a major part of a teenager's life, and when it’s taken out of our lives, we aren’t sure what to do with all the sudden free time. To cure the boredom, for the last two summers, I’ve spent my time at colleges participating in the summer programs they offer.

I love to write, so I researched and applied to creative writing summer programs. I can vividly remember applying to the one at Rhodes College I completed the summer after my freshman year. I had little expectations going into it as I didn’t think I would get in. This, of course, turned out to be false, as summer programs are truly designed for everyone.

The goal of attending a summer program is to immerse high school students into what a college-level class is like, while also giving the student an experience that mirrors college life. Students typically live in a dorm, have access to most of campus, and spend way too much money at the bookstore buying collegiate apparel. It is essentially becoming a college student for a few weeks.

In my fifteen-year-old self’s eyes, I shuddered at the thought of this; however, my parents knew it would be good to experience it temporarily before it became permanent. So that summer, I spent two weeks at Rhodes College taking a creative writing class. To say I loved it is an understatement! I had such an amazing experience, I applied to a four week-long program at the University of Southern California the following summer, after my sophomore year.

The USC program was not only twice as long, but also a much bigger program than the one I had participated in at Rhodes. This time around, I seriously doubted I would be accepted- but I got in the same day I applied! Two plane rides and an extremely long layover later, I was in sunny Los Angeles, California. The moment I stepped foot onto campus, I knew I was going to have a tremendous amount of fun.

My schedule went as follows: Attend a morning class and an afternoon class, and then have the rest of the evening for a little bit of homework and a lot of socializing. This program required a lot of independence, and I didn’t know how I would handle it. Nevertheless, I ended up loving my time as a temporary college student at USC. The experience of this program has given me an immeasurable amount of determination for my last two years of high school, and it has provided me a head start at college which is something I believe all high school students should experience.

I know many other St. Agnes students who participated in a variety of programs in the summer of 2024. I decided to ask their opinion: Why should St. Agnes girls attend summer programs? Adahline Odom (’25), represented Saint Agnes at Girls’ State. She replied, “Girls at St. Agnes should attend summer programs to meet new people, form new friendships, and discover new opportunities.”

Caroline Coffey (’26) attended the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, California. When asked why she attended a summer program she shared, “I wanted to know more about film because it’s something I’d like to do in college. I had a really cool experience, and I met a lot of great people.” For Amelia Hamilton (’25), her favorite part of her summer internship at the Community Legal Center was getting to “focus on being creative rather than thinking logically.”

Summer programs give students an opportunity to explore what they’re interested in outside of the classroom or deepen their understanding of a certain school subject. Another wonderful thing about summer programs, especially ones that are out of state, is that you meet so many new people. At USC, I met people from all over the world, and I met people who turned my experience at USC into something even better. My summer roommate and I still talk to this day!

So, why should St. Agnes girls attend summer programs? My answer is quite simple: Teachers at St. Agnes challenges their students with the individual in mind, which is also what these summer programs attempt to do. My class at USC consisted of around 15 people, like that of a classroom at St. Agnes. Each student had the opportunity to improve with the professor’s helpful feedback and advice. Sounds just like a class at St. Agnes, doesn’t it? I truly benefited from all the suggestions I was given and because of this, I furthered my understanding of writing.

I’ve made some of my most precious memories from attending summer programs, and I can’t recommend them enough. It’s hard to give up some or even all your summer. But, if you try something new, you will most likely end up thanking yourself for doing it. After all, college is just around the corner!

Below is a sampling of some of the many experiences St. Agnes Academy Upper School students took part in during the summer of 2024:

Volunteer Girls State-Caroline Hubbard, Adahline Odom and Jaimes Harvey

St. Jude Research Scholars Summer Immersion Program-Liza Russ and Suzy Puerto Duenas

George Mason Journalism Conference- Cindy Torres

Community Legal Center Internship-Amelia Hamilton

Baptist Summer Crash Course-Kate Nieman and Lilly Bacca

Soulsville Work Based Learning Program-Teiona Echols

Delta State Art Intensive-Olivia Turner

University of Connecticut Pre-College Program-Sasha Wilson  

Mississippi State Pre-Vet Program-Maliyah Williams

University of Notre Dame Pre-College Online Program in Psychology-Giselle Ruiz

Moondance Adventures Travel Program-Fallon Drzyzga

University of Southern California Writing Program-Sophie Boyatt

New York Film Academy-Caroline Coffey

University of Memphis Summer Arts Integration & Leadership (SAIL) Program-Sharon Perdomo

Troy University Summer Spotlight Arts Program-Abbey Price

Ballet Memphis-Advanced Ballet Intensive-Holland Gossett

Wilderness Adventures Service Program in Hawaii-Mary Wilhite

Design Discovery Architecture Summer Workshop at Mississippi State University-Natalie Catafygiotu

Savannah College of Art-Summer Art Intensive-Landry Sanford

SAA-CBHS-Colegio La Salle Costa Rica Cultural Exchange Program-Ayden Allen, Ellie Ashley, Claudia Durante, Sianna Halley, Cat Hutton, Callan McCollum, Eva Meyers, Anna Nielsen, Ashlee Peden, Sofia Rojas, Graci Workman, Monse Zamudio