Mentors prepare students for summer trips

Sophomore events are also a great opportunity to educate students and families about summer experiences and to celebrate trip selection as a group.

Watch mentors at our Boston and Philadelphia offices doing their best Oprah impressions during these Trip Reveals — “You get a summer trip! You get a summer trip!”

Later in the spring, our new students dive deeper into summer trip prep. This includes getting their boots, trying on equipment, and participating in fitness events — physical challenges to help them prepare for their first summer experience, which is usually a wilderness program.

In Philly, students engaged in a full day of activities: running three miles with the help of Philly alumna and fitness instructor Nadiyah Young, and participating in teamwork and ropes course exercises with our partners at Outward Bound Philadelphia.

Boston and New York City both adjusted their programming to take their sophomores on hikes to better introduce students to the kinds of challenges that they will face in their upcoming wilderness experiences.

In order to give their students the most opportunities to participate, our Summer Search Bay Area team is hosting hella hikes in every corner of the San Francisco Bay — from Fremont, to Richmond, to Napa, to Santa Rosa.

Thank You, Mentors

As you can see, bringing 600+ new students into our program takes a LOT of work. So, we want to send a special shout out to our incredible staff who worked so hard to make this possible, from conducting student interviews, to preparing informational packets, to organizing welcome and fitness events.

“I am always moved by this season – by how much we support each other, how much we show up for students, and the ways we work together,” shares Colleen Klus, Director of our Bay Area High School Program. “Thank you for all the beautiful things you [mentors] appreciated about each student and about each other… The energy and love on this team is so special and contagious.”

So please join us in thanking our staff, and of course, welcoming our new Summer Searchers! We wish them luck as they get ready for their first summer trips, the first big step in their transformative Summer Search journeys!