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Pomona
College Summer Scholars Program Now Accepting
Applications From Ninth-Graders
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Pomona College, one of the nation's premier liberal arts
colleges, is now accepting applications for its Summer
Scholars Enrichment Program from local 9th-grade students.
The academically intensive four-week program is geared
towards highly motivated girls and boys from racially and
economically diverse groups who will have completed
ninth-grade by June 20.
For local students, it’s an opportunity to get an inside
look at college life and to study with faculty and students
at one of the country’s most highly regarded colleges.
Pomona’s goal, says Motts Thomas, the college's director of
community programs, "is to grow and nurture our own
community's low-income or ethnic scholars, who would be the
first in their families to attend college. These are the
kids that are underrepresented at liberal arts colleges like
Pomona." The program is open to ninth-graders living in the
San Gabriel Valley or East Los Angeles.
From June 21 to July 16, 2004, the program’s students will
experience what it is like to live and study at a private
liberal arts institution. Students will work with Pomona
College faculty, students, and staff who support their
efforts to graduate from high school and succeed in college.
During the program, students will enhance their academic and
social skills and experience a boost in their confidence.
The curriculum will focus on math, critical thinking and
writing skills, but participants will also have the
opportunity to take electives in a variety of disciplines:
astronomy, ceramics, drama, and philosophy, among others.
Pomona faculty will teach classes and electives to small
groups of students. Pomona students, serving as teaching
assistants, will work with the scholars in daily tutorial
sessions.
Workshop sessions will include academic preparation, career
development, admissions, and financial aid. Such information
includes the fact that being from a low-income family does
not preclude a prospective student from being able to attend
a private college. Pomona, for example, uses a completely
need-blind admissions process to select students for its
entering class each year and is one of the few colleges to
meet the full financial need of each of its accepted
students. Some of its college students are even eligible for
two years of loan-free financial aid.
The Summer Scholars Program will accept 30 current
ninth-grade students who will attend classes and workshops
from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Applications must be postmarked by March 2, 2004.
To be eligible for admission, ninth-grade candidates must
have completed Algebra 1 by June 2004. All candidates must
complete an application form and return it with an essay of
approximately 250 to 500 words that tells something about
themselves and speaks to some educational passion they have
in the sciences or arts. The application should include at
least one teacher recommendation, one counselor
recommendation, and a high school transcript. Admission will
be based on the candidate’s academic achievement to date.
There is no cost to attend the program. Pomona College will
pay all costs for program materials and activities. The
program is supported in large part by a grant from the James
Irvine Foundation. For more information and application
forms, students should check with their principal’s office
or contact Mr. Motts Thomas, director of community outreach
at Pomona College, at
clarence.thomas@pomona.edu or call (909) 607-7345.
Because the life of a great liberal arts college is created
in large part by the students who live and learn there, the
Enrichment Program Committee works to enroll a student body
that will contribute to and benefit from the educational
opportunities that are made available through the program.
"If these kids come to Pomona College," says Thomas, the
community outreach director, "that's great. If not, that's
okay. What's important is that we've made a difference in
these kids' lives by exposing them to new ideas and giving
them added tools and support to succeed."
CONTACT:
Clarence Motts Thomas
Director of Community Outreach
Office: (909) 607-7345
Email:
Clarence.Thomas@pomona.edu
Note: Mr. Thomas can put reporters in touch with student
participants and Pomona professors from last year’s program. |
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