At the Well 2015 Academy Scholars photo: photo: BlackNews.com
New York, NY (BlackNews.com) — For the sixth straight year, the At the Well Young Women’s Leadership Academy will be held on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The Academy is one of the only summer institutes for minority teen girls to be held on an Ivy League campus.At the Well Academy is geared towards building leadership skills for minority girls entering the eleventh or twelfth grades of high school. This year’s Academy is scheduled for July 24 – August 5, 2016 at The Friend Center, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544. In 2015, almost 50 teenage scholars attended the competitive program.
The Academy offers dynamic speakers, standardized test-taking strategies, critical reading courses, college essay writing classes, tutoring, group activities, and field trips. Each year, special guests provide dynamic presentations. The 2015 roster of speakers included marketing guru Terrie Williams, Brandi Harvey, Executive Director of the Steve Harvey Foundation and Yandy Smith executive producer of the television show “Love and Hip Hop.” 2014 roster included husband and wife actors, Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker. Our guest professors were Dr. Imani Perry from Princeton University and Dr. Brittney Cooper from Rutgers University.
The Academy provides on-campus housing at Princeton University that allows the students to experience college life in an Ivy League setting. The curriculum has been developed to encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills along with increasing leadership confidence. Facilitators include business leaders, entrepreneurs, and Princeton University staff who teach select classes.
Admission is competitive and teens must possess a 3.0 G.P.A, and offer an essay as well as academic recommendations. Scholarships are available and need-based financial aid is available on a first-come basis. The deadline to submit an application is March 31, 2015.
The academic achievement gap between minority teen students and their white counterparts along with the lack of female senior leadership in corporate America prompted Jacqueline B. Glass, CEO and Founder of At the Well Conferences, Inc., to create the Academy. According to Glass, “The U. S. Department of Education statistics state African Americans account for about 13% of the entire college enrollment. The low performance of African American students on standardized tests is alarming. Our preparatory program addresses these issues head-on.”
About the program
At the Well Young Women’s Leadership Academy is a program of At the Well Conferences, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization empowering teens since 2009. “The Academy seeks to empower young women locally to become effective leaders globally. By promoting excellence in education, these young women will transform their communities,” states Glass. For more information, go to www.atthewellconferences.org
