Following a rigorous application process, twenty-seven 2027 Caroline D. Bradley (CDB) Scholars were selected from a nationwide pool of highly qualified, accomplished young people who will be entering high school in the fall of 2023. The new cohort of CDB Scholars are:

• Abigail Hurst from Riverside, California
• Ansel Effah from New York, New York
• Antonia Elliott from Naches, Washington
• Aubrey Ewing from Chicago, Illinois
• Bellen Anastas from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• David Hadi from Burbank, California
• Nikki Primiani from Santa Monica, California
• Dominic Gasper from Zionsville, Indiana
• Edward Zhang from Irvine, California
• Freya Bikel from Los Angeles, California
• Jack Gonzalez from St. Michaels, Maryland
• Justin Kearse from Bronx, New York
• Kai (Tiger) Wang from Princeton, New Jersey
• Kiye Corbitt from Washington, D.C.
• Lenah Faustin from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Linda Pistun from Gainesville, Virginia
• Margaret (Molly) Svrluga from Washington, D.C.
• Marin Lohner from Manhattan Beach, California
• Nia Guillemet from Los Angeles, California
• Santiago Soto from Montebello, California
• Shantanu Jha from Waycross, Georgia
• Shreyan Jain from Santa Clara, California
• Taryn Hwang from Los Altos, California
• Trillian Creath from Phoenix, Arizona
• Vikram Goudar from Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Warren Edwards II from Atlanta, Georgia
• Waverly Lansford from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Each of the new CDB Scholars represents the highest ideals of scholarship, character, leadership, community service and personal achievement in passions including athletics, research, debate, peer tutoring, robotics, engineering, website design, coding and visual and performing arts.
The class of 2027 CDB Scholars has the distinction of being the twentieth Scholar class selected since 2002鈥檚 inaugural class.

In the course of my fifteen years at the Institute for Educational Advancement at the helm of the Caroline D. Bradley (CDB) Scholarship program, I鈥檓 often asked, 鈥淲hat exactly do you do? What鈥檚 a typical workday?鈥� So I鈥檓 here to set the record straight and hopefully provide some answers. First of all, there is no 鈥渢ypical鈥� day which is precisely why I never get bored as the program director of CDB. In short, CDB runs year round with very little down time per se. The CDB team is comprised of myself and my extremely effective and efficient colleague, Mallory Aldrich. We are responsible for the approximately 150 CDB Scholars who are active within the program from 8th grade through high school, as well as maintaining contact with parents, CDB alumni, educators, organizing our CDB Selection Committees and the annual three day Bradley Seminar, collaborating with partner organizations who work with gifted students and assisting people interested in learning about and applying for the CDB Scholarship. Mallory and I are ably assisted by the 优蜜视频 team who help with our marketing, tuition payments, Finalist interviews, development, data collection and all manner of IT assistance.

We base our schedule around an academic calendar beginning anew for the year right after Labor Day in early September with the annual selection of new CDB Scholars. Roughly, the CDB year plays out as follows: the new class of Scholars is announced in early September which begins the cycle of 鈥渧irtually鈥� introducing the nationwide CDB rising 8th graders to each other and learning about them as the exceptional individuals they are. Then begins several months in the fall months of interactive research about high school programs and our follow up with each Scholar as they visit and apply to at least three high schools or programs that best suit their learning styles and academic goals. At the same time, we鈥檙e actively monitoring the transition from middle school to freshman year of high school for the entering 9th grade CDB class, making sure the returning high school Scholars are still well placed at their schools, working with the CDB high school seniors in their college application process, checking with the new class of CDB alumni as they enter college and begin work on the upcoming year鈥檚 CDB application and important program dates, organize our national selection committees who work with us to select that year鈥檚 CDB Finalists and begin sketching out the three day Bradley Seminar which encompasses travel, lodging, meals, activities, workshops and socializing for our entire CDB community of high school students, parents, guest speakers and educators with support from the entire 优蜜视频 team. All of the CDB Scholars are responsible for submitting their midterm and final term grades and teacher comments to the CDB team which is followed by individual feedback we proved to each Scholar. Within the new class, it鈥檚 rare that we are not in touch with them either by phone or email every two weeks to check in and get to know them and how their high school selection process is going.

Winter involves making sure all of the high school and college CDB applications have been completed and submitted within their deadlines, as well as personal recommendation letters and CDB information to all of the colleges being applied to by our college applicant Scholars. The new CDB application is online by now, so in addition to at least three webinars we conduct to provide information and answer questions, we are available to work with prospective applicants, recommenders and schools by phone or email. Plans for the Bradley Seminar are solidifying with the theme selected and agenda being meticulously planned out. Individual Scholars are inquiring about recommendations for summer internships that we will assist with. Winter term grades are coming in and holiday wishes extended back and forth. Scholars are hearing from their Early Decision and Early Action colleges, so that always brings a round of congratulations or calming messages about hanging in there and doing whatever we can to alleviate stress and anxiety on the part of our Scholars. This is also the time we work with any of our high school Scholars who are considering transferring for any number of reasons to a different high school program or looking for an alternate educational experience. One of the exceptional aspects of the CDB program is our flexibility to handle each individual鈥檚 ongoing academic requirements and to advocate for each Scholar should they seek to expand their horizons.

Spring is the Bradley Seminar, a highlight of the CDB program for all involved and in April the due date for that year鈥檚 CDB applications when Mallory and I go into lockdown mode to process and read the hundreds of eligible applications that we receive. By early May, we have divided the top tier applications into groups of approximately 55-60 each that will be sent to the members of our mulitple selection committees for their evaluations. The end of May- early June involves Mallory, our 优蜜视频 president and my travel to meet with the selection committees to select that year鈥檚 CDB Finalists who we will spend the summer traveling throughout the United States to interview them as the next phase of the CDB selection process. Spring is also when our Scholars hear the results of their high school and college applications, so it is a time filled with tremendous emotions and a lot of support extended to our Scholars as we support and work with them to finalize their high school and college decisions.

Summer brings extensive travel for the CDB team as well as support from our SoCal staff in conducting local CDB Finalist interviews and helping organize our schedule that extends from June- August when we have the heady experience of meeting a group of awesome and awe-inspiring CDB Finalists and parents from coast to coast. The end of the summer brings the selection of that year鈥檚 CDB class.

Mallory and I function as connectors throughout the work we do during the year. We help new Scholars connect with high school Scholars when they visit new schools that have current CDB Scholars in attendance; we connect CDB alumni and parents with current CDB Scholars looking for potential mentors or having questions to ask of fellow community members regarding their careers, current occupations or life out in the 鈥渞eal world.鈥� We connect organizations interested in the work we do with 优蜜视频 programs and initiatives as well as attend local and national conferences and conduct webinars and monthly gifted support group meetings on site to inform interested people in what CDB and 优蜜视频 are about.

It is impossible to fall through the cracks, so to speak, as a CDB Scholar. Mallory and I simply won鈥檛 let that happen. We work very hard to develop ongoing trust-based relationships with all of our Scholars and communicate regularly with them as additional support systems or advocates when it comes to any issue they might be facing at school鈥攚ith their classes, teachers, peers– or as they navigate finding balance in their often very fully scheduled lives. We work to impart life lessons to the CDB community about being proactive when it comes to their own educational paths, seeking guidance and assistance from teachers and mentors when/as needed and strive to help them develop strategies and skills to alleviate the stresses, anxieties and expectations inherent in being teenagers in general and being at competitive academic environments in particular.

So going back to the first paragraph of this attempt to de-mystify CDB, Mallory and my day always encompasses reading and responding to MANY emails from our Scholars, their parents, admissions officers at the high schools we work with as well as introducing new schools to the CDB program and Scholars. We attend regular weekly meetings that are part of 优蜜视频 as well as appointments outside the office or with visitors by people interested in learning more about CDB who are visiting SoCal and stop by our office in Pasadena, CA. We spend time daily checking in with each other as collaborators in working with an incredibly diverse population of students in how best to support and assist them in areas as varied as course selection to confidence building when it comes to trying new activities or accelerated classes outside familiar comfort zones. We are ever-present cheerleaders, confidence builders and at times deliverers of wakeup calls when needed to help motivate Scholars to get back on track should their grades slip. CDB is a merit-based scholarship program with contractual guidelines that are monitored and enforced. That said, our motivation as the officers of the CDB program is to always work with our Scholars to enable them to be the prime movers on their own academic journeys, accounting for ups and downs as they occur. With many of our students who always expect super-human results from every test and each class grade and teacher comment, we work to 鈥渉umanize鈥� sometimes unrealistic goals and perfectionistic tendencies that can trip up even the most accomplished, high achievers among our cohort.

It is a tremendous pleasure and privilege to get to know and work with the CDB Scholar community and watch these young people develop their full potentials from the 鈥渘ewbies鈥� we meet as middle schoolers, through high school, college and beyond. With nine classes of CDB college graduates since the program鈥檚 inception in 2002, we now have CDB alums who are married, have their own future CDB Scholars and are well into their adult lives. It鈥檚 not many jobs or careers that afford its staff the incredible opportunity to change someone鈥檚 life for the better and to experience tremendous appreciation and gratitude for the largesse of all that the CDB Scholarship offers and the work we do in support of this program and these fabulous young people . I feel truly blessed to experience these rewards on an almost daily basis through my colleagues at 优蜜视频 and the CDB community at large. Perhaps I don鈥檛 skip into work every day, but I am so grateful for the work I get to do and the people I do it with.

The program, which began in 2002 and is generously funded by The , is one of the few merit-based, need-blind scholarships of its kind in the U.S. Students apply for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship in the seventh grade and are required to complete an in-depth application process, which includes essays, middle school transcripts, two recommendations and a work sample. Eligible applicants must also achieve scores at or above the 97th percentile on nationally normed standardized tests and score competitively with high school seniors on the SAT Reasoning or ACT tests.

鈥淕ifted students are far more likely to actualize their intellectual and personal potential when their learning environments match their capabilities and address their individual challenges,鈥� said Elizabeth Jones, President of 优蜜视频. 鈥淭hanks to the generosity of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, 28 gifted students of the Caroline D. Bradley (CDB) Scholar class of 2017 are assured a challenging and engaging learning environment to fuel their passion and support their advanced learning capacity.鈥�

Of the 386 applicants this year, CDB鈥檚 largest-ever applicant pool, 55 Finalists were selected by three Scholarship Selection Committees comprised of a diverse group of school admissions directors, CDB alumni, university personnel and community and business leaders nationwide. Following extensive personal interviews, 28 of the Finalists were selected as recipients of the 2017 scholarship.

2017 Caroline D. Bradley Scholars:

• Audrey Acken, Mountain View, CA
• Alondra Cardenas, Montebello, CA
• Neil Chowdhury, Bellevue, WA
• Andrew Chu, Palo Alto, CA
• Graham Curtsinger, Verdigris, OK
• Jacob David, Fort Worth, TX
• Pascal Descollonges, Menlo Park, CA
• Max Ehrlich, Eagan, MN
• Rachel Faust, Bloomfield Hills, MI
• Jake Payne Grodner, Los Angeles, CA
• Leila Hardy, Lake Oswego, OR
• Diamond Head, Wauconda, IL
• Emma Hermacinski, Zionsville, IN
• Lina Huang, San Dimas, CA
• Steven Hwang, Corte Madera, CA
• Storrie Kulynych-Irvin, Annapolis, MD
• Alexander Miller, Vacaville, CA
• Maxine Park, Hanover, NH
• Alexander Popescu, Spokane, WA
• Samuel Qin, Greer, SC
• Gayatri Rajan, Mason, OH
• Minki Shin, Studio City, CA
• Josephine Stockton, Aurora, CO
• Lily Wang, Foster City, CA
• Diego West-Hedlund, San Francisco, CA
• Thisbe Wu, New York, NY
• Olivia Yang, Charlotte, NC
• William Zhu, Lincolnshire, IL

Congratulations to the 2017 Scholars! We welcome you to the 优蜜视频 community.

Applications for the 2018 scholarship will be available in November 2017. To be notified when the application is available, .

鈥淚t is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.鈥�
鈥� Oliver Wendell Holmes

Every year, the Bradley Seminar brings together our national cohort of current 听Scholars along with alumni, parents, educators, guest speakers and 优蜜视频 staff for a weekend event where they can connect as a community, discuss issues of personal and global significance, and explore engaging content through cross-generational dialogue. And every year, it comes and goes all too quickly. The 2017 Bradley Seminar took place March 10 – 12 in 优蜜视频’s hometown of Pasadena, California. This year鈥檚 theme was Listen Up!, a topic we hoped would be particularly relevant to the current social, political, and cultural climate. We explored the theme of listening to ourselves, others, and the world through sharing open dialogue and diverse perspectives in cross-generational formats, small group workshops, and conversations of personal connection and depth.

Since 2002, the has been supported by the generous vision of one donor, founded on the premise that our nation鈥檚 most gifted young students will best thrive and actualize their unique individual potential through access to the most challenging, nurturing, and flexible learning environments suited to their intellectual and personal needs. Since 2014, the CDB Scholarship has been funded in perpetuity, expanding its annual scholar identification from 15 to up to 30 Scholars per year.

This year鈥檚 Bradley Seminar welcomed the Class of 2015, our second annual class of 30 Scholars, making this our largest seminar to date with over 200 attendees! The weekend kicked off on Friday afternoon with a Welcome Reception for the freshmen Class of 2015 held at The Barder House, a space rife with meaning for the CDB community. The home is dedicated and named for the scholarship鈥檚 visionary, Sarah D. Barder, who generously donated the space to the Institute for Educational Advancement in 2011 to serve as the main offices for 优蜜视频, as well as a meeting place and touchstone for the CDB community.

CDB Class of 2015

Scholars Billy Menken and Ethan Yan practice the art of blind drawings led by 优蜜视频 staff

CDB freshmen enjoy refreshments at The Barder House

Throughout the weekend, we visited the theme of listening through presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and group activities. 鈥� licensed psychologist and 优蜜视频 senior fellow 鈥� delivered a keynote address on the value of balance and holistic listening: to ourselves, to each other, to nature and the world, to intuition. Betsy Jones 鈥� president and co-founder of the Institute for Educational Advancement (优蜜视频) 鈥� facilitated intentional, inter-generational conversations between scholars, alumni, parents, educators and guests. These conversations focused on questions like: Have you ever felt like your words weren鈥檛 being acknowledged, heard or understood? What do you think are the most important things you can do to impact your ability to listen? How can these changes affect your life, your relationships and your community?

On Saturday afternoon, CDB Scholars spent time exploring the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, The Broad Contemporary Art Museum, and The Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens. Parents and guests were privy to a unique screening event for the upcoming film, , including an exclusive Q & A with the producer and lead actress, McKenna Grace. Reviews were glowing – we recommend the film, which will be released nationwide on April 7, to anyone who has ever raised, taught or been a gifted child.

CDB Scholars at The Broad

Scholars Junah Jang, Trisha Boonpongmanee, Sarah Jung, Ellie Surman and Sarah Smale enjoy the Chinese Gardens at The Huntington Library

Actress McKenna Grace and Producer Karen Lunder give an exclusive Q & A for the soon to be released film, .

Finally, threaded throughout the weekend were speeches from our graduating Class of 2012 Scholars. Senior speeches are a highlight of the seminar every year, a 3-5 minute opportunity for each of our seniors to share some of their most transformative memories and moments from high school, the lessons they have been taught along the way, and how the CDB Scholarship has prepared them for the new road ahead.听One parent commented:听鈥淚 expected intellect and passion. I wasn鈥檛 prepared for the humility, integrity, and wisdom.听 I feel more hopeful now, knowing that these young students are becoming our next generation of leaders.鈥�

Thank you to our entire CDB community, 优蜜视频 staff, and for a refreshing and memorable weekend 鈥� we can鈥檛 wait until 2018!

Congratulations, CDB Senior Class of 2012!

CDB Junior Class of 2013 鈥� it鈥檚 your turn next year!听

CDB Sophomore Class of 2014

CDB Alumni at the 2017 Seminar

See more photos of the Bradley Seminar on our !

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Also providing music throughout the evening was long-time Academy student Calvin and newly-selected CDB Scholar Sarah, who each played selections of classical repertoire while guests socialized and enjoyed wine and light fare.

The evening was emceed by CDB Parent Rick Rosner, who added humor and insight (as a gifted adult, himself) interspersed throughout testimonials given by 优蜜视频 program participants, parents and alumni. Delighted chuckles followed 7-year-old Academy student Henry鈥檚 declaration, 鈥淥ne of my favorite things is that my Academy teachers are flexible about going off-plan鈥ometimes when we go off-plan unexpected questions come up, and we don鈥檛 always know the answer. 听When we don鈥檛 have the answers we all have to work together to figure it out, which is fun!鈥�

Henry鈥檚 enthusiasm was echoed by former Academy student and new CDB Scholar Ellie, who stated, 鈥溣琶凼悠� inspired me to take charge of my education鈥� I will be forever grateful to everyone at 优蜜视频 who showed me that learning is joyful, who inspired me to take charge of it and who have now lit the path ahead by giving me the resources to make it happen.鈥�

CDB Alumni Anna and Kiran also offered perspective by addressing the pressing need for support of gifted education. A recent high school graduate, Kiran is the founder of the nonprofit 鈥淲aste No Food鈥� and flew from San Francisco to speak at our event, where he lauded 优蜜视频鈥檚 ability to encourage and inspire its students. He said, 鈥淏y supporting 优蜜视频, you are supporting the growth of the next generation of thinkers, innovators and leaders. You are supporting a better tomorrow for all of us.鈥�

Guests were able to observe this phenomenon firsthand during an exciting flashlight demonstration overseen by 优蜜视频 president and co-founder, Betsy Jones, where each individual held up a light representing a percentage of the over 3 million gifted students in the United States and watched as, one by one, the lights went out due to misidentification, lack of resources, depression, and failure to engage and stimulate gifted minds. 鈥淚n our attempt to raise the basic standards of our schools and leave no child behind, we have forgotten those that are beyond the basics, those that have a voracious desire to learn,鈥� remarked Betsy. 鈥淎t 优蜜视频 we have seen that success springs from engaging the energy and the imagination of the mind. At 优蜜视频 we have removed the ceiling and turned on the lights.鈥�

As the house lights came back on, guests were encouraged to take what they had learned over the course of the evening out into the world and to share on behalf of the children who cannot advocate for themselves. Heartfelt thanks to the many guests who contributed to 优蜜视频鈥檚 2015 fundraising efforts and for your continued feedback and support, which helps us continue to serve the gifted community intellectually, spiritually, physically, socially and emotionally.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to donate to 优蜜视频 or if you would like to make another contribution, .

Min-Ling is a Program Coordinator at 优蜜视频 and works most closely with our , through which she meets and interacts with many gifted high school students. Before coming to 优蜜视频, she was a high school mathematics teacher.

Going off to college is probably one of my best and most anxious memories. At that point in time, it seemed that all of my prior education was in preparation for this milestone. As a first-generation college student, the plethora of tasks to complete for college applications was overwhelming. I recall that my mom, who completed 6th grade in China before immediately beginning to work, advised me that I had completed all the hard work and all that was left was to communicate my story to people whose actions and opinions we had no control over. My dad, who graduated with a Master鈥檚 Degree from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, simply gave me a stern look, smile and nod of encouragement when the subject of college was spoken of. Needless to note, 鈥渧ini, vidi, vici鈥� (I came, I saw, I conquered), and tada!

That was 10 years ago, and I was curious about how students in our 优蜜视频 community view higher education now. I have the privilege of working with highly gifted and mature youngsters, and with their help I compiled some of their thoughts, expectations, anxieties, and aspirations about higher education. By sharing this data, I hope to provide information and comfort, tell their stories and compel higher education and the world to prepare for this creative, curious and free-natured group of young adults. I asked students ages 13 through 18 amongst our community of Caroline D. Bradley Scholars, Apprentices and Yunasa Emerging Leaders and Counselors in Training about their outlook on higher education. The data from the 40 respondents is featured below. Thank you to all those who contributed!

Expectations

When asked, 鈥淚n what ways do you hope learning as a young adult will be different from high school?鈥�, 80% of students used the words 鈥渇ree,鈥� 鈥渇reedom鈥� and 鈥渁utonomy鈥�:

• 鈥淚 hope that there will be more freedom involved. I like to believe that I am a very independent and intellectually bold thinker, and I know that I apply myself better to long-term projects than busy work. So, I hope that there will be less busy work and more projects/papers to engage with.鈥�
• 82% of students responded similarly to this student, yearning for greater depth and relation to solving problems that affect the world: 鈥淚 hope that as a young adult I will be able to learn more about the things that matter to me. In high school we often talk about topics that do not interest me, or we talk about topics too shallowly. I hope to be able to learn with greater understanding and purpose.鈥�
• Students also expressed a need to learn based on their pace: 鈥淚 hope to have more freedom to choose what I learn and to be able to make my own choices regarding the course material and pace as opposed to having to follow strict guidelines.鈥�

When asked, 鈥淚n what ways do you hope learning as a young adult will be similar to high school?鈥�, all students expressed wanting diverse, passionate and inspiring teachers and peers, with responses like:

• 鈥淗opefully it will be just as easy to befriend the people around me, and the classes and my peers will be able to challenge me academically and personally.鈥�
• 鈥淚 have been fortunate to be around many top teachers and students and hope to continue enjoying the chance to work with similarly talented people.鈥�

Getting There: Anxieties

Many students expressed that the daunting task of completing applications for college will be the toughest part of the application and selection process. Students also commented that their difficulty in choosing a major leads to difficulty in choosing a college. The prospect of maintaining a high GPA is always on their minds as well.

Students are also concerned about a variety of factors that go beyond the application process, including:

• Not being accepted into top choice schools (50%)
• Taking on a significant amount of debt to pay for a degree (45%)
• Not receiving enough financial aid to attend a top choice school (37%)
• Choosing a college that turns out to be a bad fit (37%), with several respondents emphasizing outside pressures and expectations placed on them

After attending a public high school, I was surprised by my college tuition and the cost of maintaining a life away from home. The concerns above and the chart of responses below indicate that our students seem to have a good sense of how much college truly costs.

College: Where, What and How?

Students strive to achieve, at a minimum, the degree programs below.

The majors students were most interested in pursuing were primarily in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, though many students (41%) were interested in majors in both STEM and humanities fields.

When asked about their 鈥渄ream鈥� colleges 鈥� assuming acceptance and cost were not factors 鈥� many students listed 3-5 colleges. This chart demonstrates which schools were mentioned most frequently:

One student responded with a particularly insightful answer: 鈥淢y 鈥榙ream college鈥� would be where I could personalize everything to my interests, from classes to social life, to dorm. I’d also like to make a smooth, worriless transition into a stable job after college, so having connections/internships as part of programs would definitely be a plus.鈥�

Respondents also told me the states in which they would like to live as young adults, which can have an influence on their college choice. California, Massachusetts, and New York were favorites.

Our highly gifted middle school and high school students are revving up for learning more beyond their current settings. They are aware of their challenges and practical in their approach, but is the world offering what these students need?

As I interact with these students, I can see their potential to be leaders and innovators, but as always they need the support and learning opportunities to hone their knowledge and skills. At 优蜜视频, we hope that we are helping these students pursue their dreams and accomplish their aspirations and that we are helping educators understand what these students need to do so as well.

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On February 22-24, 2013, we hosted the 10th annual Bradley Seminar in San Jose, California. The event, funded by , provides an amazing opportunity for the , their parents, and alumni to come together each year for a three-day conference to discuss issues of global importance and personal relevance.

The 优蜜视频 community has found great personal and collective growth in sharing and learning together in an emotionally safe environment. Our most powerful moments have involved cross-generational discussions where each individual feels heard and supported. The Seminars offer a perfect forum to focus on a purposeful theme that causes us to look inward and to challenge ourselves to grow, not only intellectually, but also personally. This year, the theme was 鈥�Know Thyself.鈥�

Those of us who work with highly able youth seem to agree that the unique social and emotional issues related to their giftedness, coupled with adolescence, cause the majority of 鈥渟tressors鈥� in these students鈥� lives. In an effort to assist our population in dealing with stress, we explored aspects of resiliency and identification of personality types.

Prior to the event, participants read excerpts from The Resilience Factor by Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatte and completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). These served as a starting point for conversation.

Knowing thyself 鈥� personality types

After a Friday evening welcome for Scholars, alumni, and parents, Saturday began with reflections and discussions on learning to deal with stress. 优蜜视频 President Elizabeth Jones led the group in exercises to learn what issues or situations 鈥減ushed鈥� individual buttons and presented key points on how to develop resiliency. This dialogue set the stage for learning and exploring personality types. Guided by 优蜜视频 co-founder and president of The Davis Group Ltd., James W. Davis, we discovered our personality types and learned about the characteristics of each type. Mr. Davis emphasized that the MBTI is a starting point to use to understand your preferences and grow, not an excuse to stay stuck in your ways. Some things are easy and natural, while others require growth. MBTIs help you understand where there is room to grow.

Parents and kids alike were interested to see how they were similar and different in their personality types. In many cases, the MBTI helped shed light on familial interactions and communication barriers that have been present but not understood for years!

Learning about different personality types at the Seminar encouraged us to better understand our own temperaments as well as those of our friends and family. It helped provide a structural foundation for understanding differences and methods for seeking out, incorporating, and acknowledging the value of other viewpoints.

Exploring Silicon Valley

On Saturday afternoon, the Scholars ventured to two amazing companies: and .

In the fun and inviting setting of Udacity鈥檚 offices, Scholars had lengthy discussions with our hosts about course design, the technology behind online open courseware, business models, career preparation, work environments and the future of education.

Bloom Energy was a haven for our chemistry and physics enthusiasts. We toured the facility and learned about the clean, renewable energy they are developing. Discussions ranged from how their fuel cell systems are made and operated to why a new energy source like Bloom Energy鈥檚 is necessary and how it will change the world.

Udacity and Bloom Energy encourage innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. They are driven by the unique makeup of their employees, all of whom bring different perspectives to the table. These are the types of workplaces our Scholars will need. These are the environments that will allow them to thrive, and we were thankful that the Scholars were able to see companies like these in action.

Stress response 鈥� and why we should limit it

Saturday night, Dr. Robert Sapolsky delivered a fascinating and highly entertaining talk about the stress response and how it affects our bodies. Dr. Sapolsky is The John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor of Biological Sciences and Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Stanford University. He is also a research associate at the Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya. Many of us were amazed to discover the variety of ways in which the stress response 鈥� biologically designed to keep us alive in threatening situations 鈥� negatively affects our bodies over time as we experience chronic psychological stress. Relaxation techniques provided in a Sunday breakout session were in high demand after hearing Dr. Sapolsky speak!

If you want a glimpse of Dr. Sapolsky鈥檚 expertise, take a look at the videos and . We highly recommend these!

Let鈥檚 continue the discussions鈥�

We are always amazed at the caliber and depth of discussion at the Seminar. Adults and students alike ponder challenging personal and global issues. These discussions among future thought leaders provide a foundation that builds confidence, tolerance, and personal growth.

Over the weekend, we reflected on our own personalities and how knowing ourselves in more robust ways can help us relate to and work better with others. We thought about and discussed the implications of our personality types as well as the impact of stress on our lives. 鈥淪omehow, you made it possible for me to meet tons of fascinating new people, learn so much about myself and how I interact with others, and gain an insight into how startups work in the Silicon Valley, all in one, short weekend,鈥� explained one Scholar.

Reach out and support a bright young mind. Teach them to think. Help them embrace who they are and all that is possible.

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