​​This month we kicked off our 36th student admission season. Aim High summer 2022 applications are now open to students currently in 5th to 8th grade across Northern California. This summer, Aim High will provide 1,800+ students an amazing summer filled with academics, new experiences, fun field trips and more! For a second year in a row, we’ve hired three Admissions Assistants to work closely with parents to help them navigate the process of applying and re-enrolling to our program. On a typical day, they send and respond to emails regarding enrollment, or troubleshoot technical difficulties parents may face during the enrollment process. Please take a moment to read about our amazing Admissions Assistants. Meet Crystal, a Richmond native. Crystal is a UC Berkeley graduate with a double major in African American Studies and Sociology. She aspires to become a Licensed Family and Marriage Therapist (LMFT) to create more safe spaces for children and adults of color. Meet Ramon. He grew up in North Richmond and is currently in his 4th year at UC Davis as a Human Development major with two minors in Public Health and Education. Ramon envisions working in health or education in a non-profit setting, where he can fully support his community in one way or another. He hopes to land a role somewhere in his hometown of Richmond. In the long-run, he plans to work for a curriculum writing team that specializes in integrating cultural and community values into a curriculum. Meet Daniela, an Aim High alumna class of 2013. She was born in Mexico and grew up in Redwood City. Daniela is a first-generation college student studying Psychology and Human Development at UC Davis and will be graduating this June! She has a passion for working with children, which is what she hopes to continue doing both at Aim High and in her professional career. Her hope is to get her PsyD and work as a clinical psychologist for children and adolescents. She loves the idea of coming back to the Bay Area each summer and working in education to help her community. She aspires to open her own practice and serve members of her community by making mental health and therapy accessible to everyone. Our Admissions Assistants have enjoyed working with our families through the application process and view working at Aim High as a professional growth opportunity. “I like that I get to work in a different side of the program, the back-end, where we work by helping students enroll and help retain students from previous years. I’m able to see how the program starts running months before the summer program even begins,” said Ramon. Many find their role vital, like Daniela. “I like being able to help parents one-on-one. I remember what it was like having to fill out paperwork on my parents’ behalf because they couldn’t speak English. I know many others struggle with this, therefore, being an Admissions Assistant allows me to help families in this situation and, hopefully, lessen the burden on children who may have responsibilities similar to mine when I was younger.” Our Admissions Assistants see the importance of summer learning programs like Aim High for middle school learners. “Programs like Aim High are crucial to me,” says Crystal, “simply because I too was in a similar program that prepared me for college and life, really. There are a lot of lower-income students who need support and exposure to opportunities. Aim High creates safe spaces for students to be their most authentic and best selves.” Like our Admissions Assistants, we are excited to provide in-person programming this summer. If you know of a middle school student looking for a summer program, please share our apply page.