UMW summer enrichment program gives high-schoolers a sneak peek at college life

By Lisa Chinn Marvashti

Aiden Anderson poked a needle into a pink silicone tray, weaving black thread through an assortment of pre-cut lacerations. The practice exercise in suturing wounds at Mary Washington Healthcare could come in handy someday for Aiden, a sophomore at the Academy of Technology and Innovation at UMW’s Stafford Campus.

He was among about 70 aspiring medical professionals, artists, engineers and more who took part in last week’s Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), a six-day experience for rising 10th- through 12th-graders. Participants live in residence halls, take courses filled with hands-on learning and participate in extracurricular activities like the Wednesday-morning field trip introducing students to hospital practices.

Part of a course taught by UMW Professor of Biology Deb O’Dell, the offering was among more than 20, covering everything from pop culture and culinary chemistry to environmental engineering and cybersecurity.

“The program continues to be a great introduction to college life,” said Associate Professor of Communication Elizabeth Johnson-Young, who coordinates SEP with Department of Biological Sciences Senior Lecturer Michael Stebar and College of Education Assistant Professor Danielle Ott. “Campers participate in a wide variety of courses, enrichment sessions, and field trips, and it’s exciting to see them engage and learn what a liberal arts education feels like at UMW.”

Simeon Small, a Stafford High School sophomore, donned goggles and blue latex gloves for a course called “Chemistry Glow Up,” where students used spectrometers to explore how light is absorbed, reflected and measured. “I love this camp because I get to meet new people,” said Simeon, who praised SEP faculty like Professor of Chemistry Leanna Giancarlo, who led the glow-up session. “They teach college so they’re engaging, and they really know what they’re doing.”

In “Responsive Classroom: Building Relationships,” taught by Department of Education Professors Brooke Powell and Susan Pearson, participants learned how helping students get to know one another can build stronger classroom communities. Riverbend High School junior Aly Parrish teamed up with a partner, discovering they share a love of soccer, a propensity for math and a favorite food – steak.

“The Places You Will Go,” led by Assistant Director of Career Education Mary Becelia, had campers using magazine clippings, stickers and other supplies to create “vision boards” focused on college and career. “I know what I want to do, but I want to make sure what I’m doing is going to get me there,” said Twin Valley High School sophomore Sophie Whited, who hopes to major in psychology and become an art therapist.

Saniyya Francis, a senior at Phoebus High School in Hampton, Virginia, participated in a similarly artistic project, picking through shoeboxes, egg cartons and paper towel rolls for the “Cardboard Sculptures” enrichment activity in UMW’s Seacobeck Hall Maker Space. “It’s been really fun,” she said of the session led by College of Education Assistant Professor Danielle Ott – and of the entire SEP experience. “We get to go to classrooms and live in the dorms. It’s basically like a mini-college.”

Students in “Introduction to Healthcare Practices,” one of more than 20 courses offered as part of UMW’s Summer Enrichment Program, also practiced skills such as intubation and chest compressions and heard from a panel of professionals at Mary Washington Healthcare. The panelists shared their job responsibilities and the paths they took to excel in their careers, and therapy dogs visited as students learned about career paths in the medical field.