Torrance, CA (March 22, 2016): This June, junior Muriel Clapp (pictured left) will head to Annapolis, MD for a fast-paced, six-day intensive experience in the U.S. Naval Academy's Summer Seminar. The annual seminar is an exploratory opportunity for students who have completed their high school junior year and want to learn more about Naval Academy academics, athletics, professional training, and leadership development. Students who are interested in a potential appointment to the Academy, like Clapp, apply to the program.
After a rigorous application process-- only 13% of applicants are admitted-- Clapp learned in early March that she had been accepted to the summer seminar. "It's kind of nice to be able to do this [program] beforehand. If I like it, then I'll definitely... try to get an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy for college," she says. Although she is not yet sure what career field she'd like to pursue, Clapp likes the Academy's options, especially a possible career in law: "Right now, law seems like something I'd like to do, and if I can get that education at the Naval Academy, I'd be really happy. But, for now, I'm just excited to try the summer seminar and see where that takes me."
Clapp's classmate, Alexis Mendoza (pictured right), is awaiting her own incredible experience at Harvard this summer. She will spend two weeks on the Harvard campus with other high school students from around the globe. While there, Mendoza, who aspires to be a pediatric oncologist, will be enrolled in a medically-focused academic session on HIV/AIDS and Ebola. Outside of the session's daily 3-hour class meetings, Mendoza and her schoolmates will also partake in college readiness workshops and team-building activities. They will also travel throughout Boston and visit other college campuses. For Mendoza, spending two weeks at Harvard is the perfect opportunity to learn more about its academic programs and campus environment. "I'm excited to see what Harvard is about," she says. "It is definitely one of my top [college] choices."