A Glimpse into the Summer: Early College Activities

The Early College students of Alsion were surveyed on the extracurricular activities they participated in over the past summer. These are their responses.

By: Aashi Mehrotra and Charlie Hoang

Each year, the summer heat kicks off with an annual clamoring of eager parents signing their children up for summer camps, courses, and babysitters. But by the time students reach high school, the summer activity scene changes from fun camps to more impressive activities such as volunteering, internships, and summer classes. Alsion Early College students are no exception to this shift. Incoming 10th, 11th, and 12th graders participated in various accomplished extracurriculars this past summer. 

In response to an online survey, over half the students wrote that they volunteered in some kind of organization, 25%—all of which were seniors—interned, and another 25% held a job. The career fields each person worked at were widely varied. In terms of volunteering, the types of establishments included food banks, libraries, schools, hospitals, theatre programs, and community greenhouses. For internships, it was gender equality groups (VOICEINSPORT, WomenX, and Girls on the Run Bay Area), the office of US Senator Laphonza Butler, UCSF’s infectious disease department, a health startup, and shadowing multiple doctors. Compared to the studious internships and volunteering positions, the jobs people held were quite the opposite. They consisted of teaching at taekwondo and kung fu studios, theatre camp, and a role as a camp counselor. 

On the other hand, students can choose to spend their summer continuing their education. Ohlone classes and AP courses are the most pragmatic. However, they didn’t seem to be a popular choice, with only two students responding that they studied an AP class over the summer and only one having taken an Ohlone course. All in all, the students of Alsion Montessori’s Early College program led a busy and demanding summer schedule paved with hard work and splendid opportunity. We can’t wait to see what they do next year!

(Image credit: Mikaela Mackey/ nwestiowa.com)