To the Class of 2018: BE MORE!

To the Class of 2018: BE MORE!

Two amazing students who dream of being more!

“But dreaming isn’t enough, you have to put that dream into action. You will trip and fall, but who gets back up determines who will be successful.”

This past week I have attended several graduations and graduation parties, as it is always priceless to see the seniors who are ready to face the world as high school graduates. As I looked out at the class in the auditorium, many were anxious with anticipation for the day and what the next chapter entails for them. I also saw future doctors, politicians, teachers, nurses, community leaders, realtors, entrepreneurs, therapists and pastry chefs. As an educator, I am proud of what our students have accomplished (advanced degrees while in high school, scholarships, coveted selective school spots, and those just reaching their academic dreams), but more so are their stories about who they inspire to be. I am touched that I can be a part of their lives to help lead them down their individualized paths of success.

So as I sit here and think what wisdom I wish to impart in my students, is to BE MORE!

So many times as adults we limit ourselves in our lives because of past experiences. The negative self-talk embeds in our minds and prevents us from being what we truly can be. You, on the other hand, have limitless possibilities in front of you. Sometimes in life you will make the wrong choice, but always realize there are always more choices to make. Every day there is a new opportunity to make new and better choices.

In life, practice being more- you do this by taking risks in your life, putting yourself out there by dreaming that you can be more. But dreaming isn’t enough, you have to put that dream into action. You will trip and fall, but who gets back up determines who will be successful.

While living in Nicaragua, I climbed an active volcano. It was something I always wanted to do and heard that the journey was well worth it once you arrived to the top. We prepared, made plans, and ensured everything was in order. Water-check, hiking shoes-check, jacket-check, snacks-check. We were about to start out, and as the locals were watching us, they politely asked if we knew which path to go. We pointed to the one that looked well-traveled and said smugly, “That one, of course!” They replied, “How do you know that one gets you to the top? It actually ends quickly, you will have to take another path if your goal is reach the top.” What-another path? We hadn’t prepared for that! We had come too far to turn away now, yet, not knowing where we were going was just as daunting. We decided to hire a guide to help us, one who knew the route well and could help us along the way in case we needed it. It was long and arduous work, but the view at the top was breathtaking and inspirational.

And this is the moral of the story- everyday there are these hills or sometimes mountains, sometimes we have to go blindly through it to reach our goals, other times we find others to guide us along the way. No matter, the top is still the top. The view is still the same. There is an old Taoist saying, “There are many paths to one summit”. But if you never find that path, if you never put one foot in front of another, you will never reach the top. So dream more, love more, learn more, and be more.

Best of luck Class of 2018! We are all cheering for you to reach your own summit!

Make Summers Count! Volunteering in SW Florida

Video Games are fun, but do not build a college resume!

Summer is right around the corner, and a a lot of students and parents are wondering what to do to make it count! While sleeping in and playing video games sounds like an ideal summer vacation (I have even heard parents say "They've worked hard during the school year, they should relax!"), there are other ways to build up your college resume to gain admissions and scholarships!

Summer is an excellent opportunity for students to use their time wisely to become a “T” student (see what a "T" student is here), whether that is volunteering, utilizing summer university program, or taking online courses. Often times, I find parents don't know where to start with the process so I have searched for some opportunities I know of throughout the state of Florida and in our own backyard of SW Florida. This by no means is an exhaustive list, but will definitely get parents thinking about areas a student can utilize during the summer. There are many more out there, and I highly suggest you do some Google searches to find them! Sometimes all it takes is a good search and a few phone calls to find an amazing experience. I am continually impressed with what our students find in the local community, and I strongly encourage these opportunities for personal and academic growth.

You do not have to pay high prices for these summer programs- as stated in the previous article, volunteering locally and taking free online courses definitely helps boost their admission and scholarship potential. Many universities within Florida and out-of-state offer great on-campus opportunities for students as well with unique major and career specific programs.

Online Programs (called Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs)

MOOCs allows students to take courses from all over the world. Most are free, but some are for a small fee. They range from coursework from experts from universities like MIT, Berkeley, and Harvard from a range of topics like coding, medical neuroscience, business, and psychology.

Coursera

Carnegie Mellon

Curriki

EdX

Lynda

Alison

Udemy

Udacity

SyMynd

Open Yale Courses

Volunteer Opportunities

Lee Health

http://www.leememorial.org/volunteer/vol-application_student.asp (Links to an external site.)

Lee County Parks & Recreation

http://www.leegov.com/parks/volunteers

United Way of Lee County-

https://www.unitedwaylee.org/volunteer/current-needs/

Naples Volunteering (Zoo, Botanical Gardens, etc).

http://www.thenewnaples.com/guide/volunteer/

Lee County Visitor Board- Tourism Ambassador

https://www.leevcb.com/the-vcb/visitor-services/tourism-ambassador-program

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conversation Commission

http://myfwc.com/get-involved/volunteer/

Shy Wolf Sanctuary-

http://shywolfsanctuary.com/

If your organization would like to be on this list, please email me asterk@unmaze.me! I would love to compile a first list of volunteer/ internship opportunities!

Florida Universities and Programs

Florida provides a wealth of opportunities for our high school students, whether it be at Disney World, Sea World, or one of our great universities!

Disney Educational Programs (physics, technology, photo storytelling, personal branding, and more).

http://www.disneyyouth.com/our-programs/education/

Eckerd College (Marine science, leadership, sustainability, writers workshop)

https://www.eckerd.edu/precollege/

Embry-Riddle (aviation, mechanical engineering, NASA)

http://summercamps.erau.edu/index.html

Florida Atlantic University (architecture)

http://www.idac.fau.edu/design/HSSI.html

Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University- CEO Academy

http://jaswfl.org/ceo-academy/

Florida Institute of Technology (flight, engineering, advanced aviation, marine science & engineering, Girls in STEM)

http://camps.fit.edu/academic-camps.php#.WOUXX4jys2y

Florida State University (FSU College of Medicine- closed for this summer)

http://med.fsu.edu/index.cfm?page=advisingOutreach.si

NASA Internships (closed for this summer)

https://intern.nasa.gov/ossi/web/public/main/index.cfm?solarAction=view&subAction=content&contentCode=HOME_PAGE_INTERNSH

Ringling Art & Design (animation, sculpting, cartoons, graphic novels, etc)

http://www.ringling.edu/ContinuingStudies

University of Central Florida (programming, biology, engineering)

http://siucf.cs.ucf.edu/

University of Miami- Summer Scholars Program- multiple tracks

http://www.miami.edu/dcie/index.php/ssp/

University of South Florida (STEM, writers workshop, biomedical engineering, advertising)

http://www.usf.edu/innovative-education/programs/pre-college/programs/2015.aspx

Stetson University (variety of classes, designed for gifted students of all ages)

http://www.stetson.edu/other/hats/

University of Florida (multiple programs)

http://www.mysummeradvisor.com/MSA/app/school/summer-programs-and-camps/university-of-florida/573

Out-of-State Universities (there are so many! More than I can put on here- often these are a bit pricey, but give you some great time on unique campuses through the US and world!)

Actuarial Science Camp-

http://www.lvc.edu/academics/summer-community-programming/actuarial-science-camp/

Cornell University Summer College (veterinary science, Shakespeare, art, biological research)

https://www.sce.cornell.edu/sc/

Duke Summer Academy: Global Leader, Global Entrepreneur, Global Incubator, Global Giver, Global Researcher

http://summersession.duke.edu/high-school-students/duke-summer-academy/daytime-courses

Stanford Summer Session (artificial intelligence, humanities, sports business, and more)

https://summercollege.stanford.edu/

Stevens Pre-College Program (cybersecurity, Engineering, Pre-med, game design, entrepreneurship, STEM Law & Policy, and more)

https://www.stevens.edu/admissions/pre-college-programs

University of North Georgia- National Cyber Warrior Academy (computer science & Operating in cyberspace- scholarships available!)

https://ung.edu/cyber-operations-education/national-cyber-warrior-academy.php