Summer is officially here!

For many, this means vacations, barbecues and relaxing days at the beach are on the itinerary.

Now, while those kinds of things are all well and good, what we are MOST excited about this time of year is the chance for our Summer Searchers — who are mostly first-generation college-bound students from low-income communities — to each have a challenging and transformative summer experience.

Over the last few months, our new sophomores have been attending fitness events to prepare mentally and physically for their first summer experiences. As for our juniors, after reflecting on the lessons learned from last summer, they have been working with their mentors to determine their second summer destinations.

Our students began departing for their summer programs just this past week. This year, we’re sending out 564 sophomores and 482 juniors, for a grand total of 1,046 travelers, our largest summer cohort ever!

Here is a closer look at where they’ll be going and what they’ll be doing.

Top Domestic & International Destinations

What Will Our Students Be Doing This Summer?

So as our Summer Searchers get ready to leave their comfort zones to climb a mountain in California, build a school in Costa Rica or study college-level physics on an Ivy League campus in Rhode Island, please join us in wishing them the best of luck as they embark on their summer experiences! Leave a comment below and let them know.

Support our students on their summer experiences today!

View last year’s summer program stats »

Summer program student numbers as of June 14, 2016.