As summer break comes to a close and NC students fill classrooms for the 2025-2026 school year, teens and teachers reflect on their sweet time spent in the sun. For academically inclined scholars, these days allowed them to pursue their interests outside the classroom and experience a glimpse of college life. Magnet seniors Nadia Guthrie, Collin Thompson and Justina Stewart serve as no exception.
Kicking off their summers with college in mind, Thompson and Guthrie attended the Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s (HSF) Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) to learn about practical tools to successfully apply to top colleges and universities in the U.S.. YLI serves as a college empowerment program for high-achieving Latino high school juniors and provides full access to scholarship and financial aid opportunities as well as an outlet to expand student leadership skills. As young adults and nearly high school graduates, these two magnet seniors participated in college and career workshops and interacted with college students who recently received acceptance letters to top 20 schools.
Applicants chose between two program dates in June and July in either Los Angeles, California, at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) or at the University of Southern California (USC). Guthrie achieved a spot at the LMU location June 25-29 after hearing about the program from a family friend. Guthrie met Hispanic scholars from around the U.S.A., which led her to build new friendships and learn about other cultures. While the program did not heavily influence or inform Guthrie’s plan of becoming a lawyer, YLI allowed her to explore various colleges and network with individuals from other states.
“I liked the idea of feeling ready for a new phase of life instead of going in completely blind. We got the chance to meet people from other states and discuss what we’re doing at our schools currently, what careers we’re interested in and what colleges we want to apply to. It was cool because I got to make connections and learn about other people, which helped me learn about myself,” Guthrie said.
In addition, Thompson’s excitement for the program grew after receiving an email from the College Board, which encouraged him to apply for USC’s July 16-20 program. Due to his rigorous course load and excellent academic standing, Thompson achieved an acceptance letter from HSF in the spring as well.
Thompson’s time at YLI encouraged him to engage in lectures about college applications, careers, interviews and scholarships through interactive activities. With student and HSF staff panels held during his time at YLI, Thompson collaborated with his peers and listened to the questions asked by the crowd.
“I was [thrilled] because, of course, I wanted to visit USC for free and be able to actually stay on campus for a few days since it’s my dream school at the moment. Also, I really loved the idea of being able to meet people who just recently went through the college process and got into good schools. I enjoyed meeting everyone and I made some close friends there, and they gave us specific times where all we had to do was socialize,” Thompson said.
While Guthrie and Thompson spent their time in California, Stewart attended the Emory Pre-College program in the heart of Atlanta at Emory University. June 15-28, Stewart spent her time studying human physiology due to her passion for medicine and helping others. Emory’s Pre-College program influences high school sophomores and juniors to choose a college-level course that appeals to their future majors. This course provided her with insight into the medical field as she participated in hands-on activities.
During the human physiology course, Stewart learned to take blood pressure, listen to heartbeats and test reflexes. Outside the classroom, she participated in activities to build relationships with her peers through playing games such as a fake admissions game, which allowed her to play the role of an admissions counselor from Emory. Stewart also lived on campus for the two-week program, which transformed her view of college dorm life.
“This program really helped me learn more about what a college class in medicine would look like. I learned about many different organ systems, like the renal system and endocrine system. It was very cool. I enjoyed making friends with people from all over the country and the world. Some of my now close friends are from New Jersey, Virginia and southern Georgia, but I also met people from Taiwan and China,” Stewart said.
As these high school seniors took on various challenging and life-changing activities, they learned how to network while also building up their view of college life. The courses taken and seminars attended fully immersed them in new environments as high-achieving scholars. While summer ended and the programs came to a close, Guthrie, Thompson and Stewart will thrive during college application season as it unfolds in the fall, thanks to what they learned.
