Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) hosted 50 high school students during the inaugural week-long C.A.M.P. at The Woods. C.A.M.P., Challenging Ambitions and Maximizing Potential was made possible by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, Indiana Youth Programs on Campus (IYPC).
IYPC is an initiative designed to help Indiana colleges and universities in their efforts to create new or expand and enhance existing high-quality, on-campus programs for Hoosier youth ages 5 – 18.
Students engaged in hands-on, educational activities on and off campus and will receive two college credits for completion of the week. There were five C.A.M.P. options for students to choose from.
- NU 150: Nurses for the Future
- PE 150: Introduction to Health and Wellness
- Go Global – EV 150: Applied Methods of Environment Sustainability
- Go Global – EQ 150: Introduction to Equine Industry
- Go Global – GL 150: Leaders of Positive Change
In addition to the week attending activities on-campus, the Go Global courses will provide a one-week, post-summer camp, study abroad experience, also funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. The Go Global EV 150 and the Go Global GL 150 classes will travel to the Galapagos Islands in January 2024, and the Go Global EQ 150 will travel to Germany this fall.
Janet Clark, Ph.D., provost/vice president for academic affairs, expressed excitement. “We are grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for the funding for this very innovative week. It was great seeing students from eighth grade to high school seniors participate. It gave them a glimpse into how to navigate college and the types of programs and careers available for them to pursue in the future.”
On the last day of C.A.M.P., each class gave presentations about their week to their fellow students, friends and family. The demonstrations from the classes included wind turbines and solar cars for the EV-150 students, community projects on sustainability to take to Ecuador for the GL-150 class, equine care and horseshoeing from the EQ-150 group, the importance of health and wellness from the PE-150 class and CPR certification and simulated childbirth from the NU-150 group.
Bob Jackson, pre-college outreach director for SMWC, was pleased with the week. “It was fantastic to see these high school kids excited about going to school in the summer! It was a packed week for them, being immersed in experiential-based, highly engaging activities in the areas of environmental sustainability, equine studies, nursing, health and wellness and global leadership. I believe C.A.M.P. at The Woods provides opportunities for high school students to not only see what college life can be for them but also a look at some unique career opportunities.”
Check out some pictures from this exciting week!
