Summer is here and you may be wondering what programs or activities are available for your child to attend. We have done some research for you and compiled a list of fantastic Summer programs that serve gifted youth. All these programs come from the , Institute for Educational Advancement鈥檚 database. The GRC is a free public tool which serves as an online database of resources appropriate for the gifted learner from Preschool through High School. The GRC contains an abundance of resources and information regarding advocacy, gifted programs and organizations, schools, scholarships, supplemental learning opportunities, testing and counseling professionals, and the twice-exceptional (2e) learner.

Below is a sample of some of the resources that offer and provide activities during the summer. More information about these programs, as well as many more that are not listed here, is available on the .

9-12

Girls Who Code offers a free 7-week summer program for current 10th-11th-grade girls to learn to code and get exposure to tech jobs. Each week the program covers projects related to computer science, such as art, storytelling, robotics, video games, web sites, and apps. Participants will also hear from guest speakers, participate in workshops, connect with female engineers and entrepreneurs, and go on field trips. The program culminates in a final project where students build their own product and share it with the class.

6-8 路 9-12

Digital Media Academy is a nationally recognized organization that provides hands-on summer resi颅dential and day computer camps for teens as well as youth (ages 9-13).

6-8 路 9-12

Summer Discovery is a pre-college academic enrichment program offering middle school and high school students a meaningful summer experience with lifelong value. Choose from over 300 interactive courses at 14 different university locations in the United States and abroad. Their summer programs combine academics with social activities, travel, recreation, and sports.

K-5 路 6-8 路 9-12

CodeREV Kids provides classes and curriculum for students ages 6 to 18, focused on explor颅ing STEM by learning coding, technology, and robotics. Classes are project-based, allowing stu颅dents to engage in deep learning through unique creations and hands-on projects. CodeREV offers classes and summer tech camps in a variety of locations throughout Southern California: Santa Monica, Solana Beach, Encino, Irvine, Beverly Hills, Fountain Valley/Huntington Beach, and Mali颅bu/Palisades.

K-5 路 6-8 路 9-12

Girls Garage is a one-of-a-kind design and building program and a dedicated workspace for girls ages 9 to 17. Located in Berkeley, California, it offers after-school programs, summer camps, and workshops.

优蜜视频 ACADEMY K-5 路 6-8

优蜜视频 Academy is a program of the Institute for Educational Advancement which provides students in Kin颅dergarten through 8th grade with advanced learning opportunities that promote exploration and ap颅plication of knowledge. Classes are taught by content-area specialists and taught at a flexible pace to accommodate the learning needs of gifted and 2e students. Classes are small and grouped by ability rather than chronological age. 优蜜视频 Academy sessions take place in Pasadena, California and are held seasonally: fall, spring and summer (three sessions hosted each summer).

9-12

Stanford High School Summer College offers academically outstanding high school students the oppor颅tunity to take Stanford College courses and earn university credit. Program participants enroll as visiting undergraduates in Stanford鈥檚 Summer Quarter and take the same courses, taught by the same Stanford faculty, as matriculated Stanford students.

6-8 路 9-12

Summer@HPA offers students entering grades 6 through 12 a unique four-week day and boarding expe颅rience structured for academic enrichment and designed to make the most of summer and take advan颅tage of our wondrous island-home to 80 percent of the world鈥檚 ecosystems. The diverse class offerings integrate environmental stewardship and awareness, and sustainability education and practices.

K-5 路 6-8 路 9-12

From early childhood through elementary, middle and high school, Center for Talent Development (CTD) gifted summer programs encourage gifted kids to explore academic areas of interest and con颅nect with a community of peers. CTD offers life-changing residential and commuter programs provid颅ing challenging enrichment, honors and Advanced Placement courses taught in a highly supportive environment.

9-12

Summer Academy is a two-week academic program designed to provide US and international rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders the opportunity to have a glimpse of college life for two weeks during the summer. During their stay on campus, students take one of the different classes offered such as Exam Preparation, Debate, Engineering, Arts, or Literature and earn a 陆 Carnegie high school credit for this classwork.

PRE-K 路 K-5 路 6-8
The Quad Manhattan is an inclusive meeting place for Twice-Exceptional kids 鈥� a place where social and executive functioning 鈥渓ife鈥� skills are developed through FUN! Twice Exceptional or 2e children have intellectual or creative gifts, and also have lagging social or executive functioning skills. Developed by experts in medicine, child psychology and gifted special education, the Quad uses kids鈥� strengths and passions to hide skill development in creative and engaging afterschool classes and activities during our summer camp.

9-12

Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 Pre-College programs will show you what college life is all about鈥攆rom the class颅room to what鈥檚 happening on weekends. Carnegie Mellon offers Pre-College summer programs in a variety of subject areas, such as math, science, architecture, drama, music, art, and gaming. There are no tuition, housing or dining fees for students selected to attend the Summer Programs for Diversity.

PRE-K 路 K-5 路 6-8 路 9-12

Summer Wonders is a nonresidential, full or half-day program that allows students to explore diverse subjects in a challenging, creative environment through an integrative, hands-on, non-traditional ap颅proach. Summer Wonders is a specialty program for gifted children entering Pre-K through 6th grade and is held during three different two-week sessions at ACE Academy in Austin, Texas.

K-5

Gifted student Cassidy Kao published her first book at 8 years old and founded iPoetTree at 12 years old. The nonprofit organization seeks to inspire a passion for writing in kids kindergarten to 6th grade. Cassidy provides a fun and free curriculum, supportive environment for sharing poems, and assis颅tance with becoming a published author like her.

听In addition to searching the hundreds of resources in the GRC, you can also download our and with opportunities for K-12 students. and check out our curated Guides.

听Like this post?听听to receive more stories, information, and resources about gifted youth straight to your inbox.

classes are at once engaging and educational. While sitting in on three classes two weeks ago, I was surprised by the instructors鈥� hands-on, student-centered approach to learning. Academy students arrive at conclusions through discussion and inquiry; rather than feeding the class answers and formulas, Academy instructors give students room to explore and discuss concepts. Coming from a boarding high school that emphasizes a collaborative, inquiry-based approach to learning, I was impressed to see classes with younger students using the same pedagogy.

Due to the interdisciplinary and interactive nature of these classes, students are able to apply what they learned to real-word scenarios, from using chemistry to prepare food to making video games in Java and Python. During a Primary Geometry class, for example, students learned about shapes by creating their own mini-boats out of foil and straws and testing them in a tub of water. The instructor used the most buoyant boats as a segue into a discussion about 3-D geometry, helping students visualize the intersection of geometry and the outside world. If you missed out on Primary Geometry, check out our new offering, Math Magic: Numbers up your Sleeve, a class offered in .

In a Rocket to Calculus class, the instructor asked students to predict the path of a rocket using mathematical formulas before going outside to test their predictions with their own handmade rocket. Rather than plugging numbers into equations, the instructor helped students understand the origin and meaning of the formula. In both classes, the instructor made sure that each student had an equal opportunity to ask questions; due to the small class sizes and instructors鈥� approach to teaching, each student felt included and comfortable speaking up.

Although each Academy class has a structure and purpose, instructors are open to students鈥� suggestions and are there to engage their curiosity. On the last day of a Robotics class a few sessions ago, students were testing their robots when one came up with the brilliant idea of attaching pins to the front of the each robot and balloons to the back, then pitting the robots against each other. An eccentric way to test their robots, indeed, but the creative activity made for a memorable end to a Robotics class!

Classes are still open for Session II and III, so if you missed out on previous sessions, check out our offerings for this summer. In addition to our classic offerings of Video Game Design and Microbiology, we are excited to announce a handful of new classes, from Improv 101 to Creative Writing. Summer is only getting started, so we can鈥檛 wait to see you at Academy in the coming weeks!

Mark is an extern this summer at 优蜜视频. A Los Angeles resident, Mark will be a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy this fall.

It鈥檚 hard to believe 鈥� but summer break is already upon us. Schools are letting out, vacations are being booked, and myriad summer activities are being mulled over. With that in mind, you may be asking yourself, 鈥淲hy should I choose over other programs, camps and enrichment activities?鈥� Admittedly, L.A. County is flooded with programs that span STEM topics, the arts, sports and nature, but here are 10 things 优蜜视频鈥檚 Summer Academy program provides that makes it stand out from the rest:

• New themes for 2018!: Each of our three two-week sessions have a unique theme this summer. Is your child someone who enjoys learning about different worlds 鈥� worlds under the sea, the World Wide Web, galaxies and the solar systems or the world of food science? Then our Session I Globetrotters is the perfect choice! In Session II, our Systems Sleuths untangle and understand human body systems, the food chain, circuits, and the periodic table, and discover ways in which even seemingly chaotic entities are part of a larger system. And for the tinkerers and visionaries, Session III allows our students to become Inventioneers, taking deep-dives into the worlds of creativity, fantasy, design and the creation of realms and technology. For a full list of classes and schedules, .
• A dedicated home away from home: In 2017, 优蜜视频 acquired our Learning Center on Marengo Avenue, which hosts Academy courses, workshops and family-friendly events. Parents, siblings, friends and babysitters are welcome to sit in our library or on our front porch while classes are taking place. We鈥檝e also got an impressive collection of books, puzzles, Legos and other toys to tinker with 鈥� along with wifi if you need to get work done. If you鈥檝e got errands to run, you鈥檙e in luck: we鈥檙e within walking distance of Whole Foods, Trader Joe鈥檚, Starbucks and much more!
• Explosions, dissections and contraptions 鈥� oh, my!: At Academy, we make, create, design, build, test, mold, sketch 鈥� and sometimes get our hands dirty. We鈥檙e not content to just sit and listen; we鈥檇 rather be launching rockets, making ice cream in a bag, discovering life through a microscope or developing hilarious comedy sketches with our friends. There are no tests here, but you鈥檒l be surprised to discover just how much you鈥檝e learned when class is over.

• Our teachers don鈥檛 just show up 鈥� they dress up!: If you enroll in Ellen Brown鈥檚 King George class, odds are she鈥檒l show up at least once in her Revolutionary War hat. Grayson Kent will be bringing animal bones, fossils and teeth to his Cenozoic Life and Ultimate Guide to Predators You can expect robot races in Chris Bradfield鈥檚 Intro to Robotics with Arduino class, and who knows what else! We鈥檙e so proud of the dedication and energy our Instructors put into making Academy classes fun, engaging, stimulating and a one-of-a-kind experience for students.
• It鈥檚 cool to be smart: Everyone at Academy 鈥� students, instructors, staff and families 鈥� loves to learn and encourages it in everything they do. In fact, we鈥檙e all about getting each other to see things from new perspectives, challenging what we鈥檝e always thought to be true and understanding how different disciplines complement each other to span multiple scholarly fields. Interested in the intersection of art and math? Check out Alessandra Santucci鈥檚 class Mosaic Elements: An Artistic Application of Euclidian Geometry. Do you enjoy studying international relations, medicine, and technology? Sign up for Tristan Murphy鈥檚 class How to Save the World: Problem Solving on a Global Scale.
• Flexibility: Whether your summer calendar is currently carte blanche or you鈥檙e juggling soccer, sailing, scouting and swimming, Academy can meet your needs and fit your schedule. Our two-week sessions provide the ideal amount of time for in-depth discovery, but don鈥檛 take time away from other important summer adventures. Classes meet once a day for 90 minutes and students can sign up for 1-4 classes per session. to see which session best fits your child鈥檚 availability.
• Discounts: Speaking of multiple classes, did you know we offer several types of discounts for Academy families? We offer sibling, referral and multiple-class discounts. The more courses you enroll in, the bigger the savings! We also offer scholarships for qualified families in need. for tuition and discount information.
• Choose Your Own Adventure!: Learning is most fun when you have a say in what you鈥檙e learning and how you鈥檙e learning it. To that end, Academy has created the perfect safe space for students to take control of their learning and help shape their scholarly pursuits. Are you a budding Dungeon Master? Find out just how far your skills and inner strengths will take you in Grayson Kent鈥檚 Dungeons and Dragons Do you enjoy coding and creating your own websites that let you show off your interests and talents? Sign up for Alessandra Santucci鈥檚 Intro to Web Design class. Have you always wanted to design and build an intricate, multi-layered marble run, the likes of which you鈥檝e seen in impressive YouTube videos? Then Rube Goldberg: Machines and Mazes is the course for you!
• Friends, Families and Fun: Academy is not just an academic enrichment program. In recent years, Academy has truly become a community of invested, caring and passionate students, families and educators 鈥� all dedicated to the support and advocacy of gifted and talented youth. When you鈥檙e here, you鈥檒l always find someone with whom to chat, discuss gifted programming , and even just get caught up on current events and goings-on around town. Students quickly make connections and friends with peers who are just as passionate about robots, creative writing, ancient history, the Pythagorean Theorem and galaxies as they are. We get gifted students and we鈥檝e created a community in which your child can thrive, be themselves and soar.

• Just the Beginning: At Academy, you鈥檒l be introduced to exciting, challenging courses taught by outstanding Instructors from CalTech, JPL, the Mirman School, Bridges Academy 鈥� to name a few institutions. Our Instructors also host workshops, mini-lectures and Genius Days throughout the year, extending the benefits of Academy courses well beyond the summer. Additionally, our community board features exciting offerings from other 优蜜视频 programs, gifted organizations, families and gifted professionals. 优蜜视频 is dedicated to providing and making families aware of services and events within all aspects of gifted. You鈥檒l be surprised by how much information we have to share when you drop off and pick up your child each day!

!

Still not convinced, or perhaps want to get a further look at the type of classes we鈥檙e offering? at 5:30pm, where our Academy instructors will be conducting interactive demonstrations of their coursework.

As a program coordinator at 优蜜视频, there are many parallels between running a successful program and leading an affective Parent Teacher Association (PTA) organization. Parents are stewards of , just like a program coordinator to his/her perspective program. I want to share a few tips and lessons learned from other established PTA groups. Hopefully this can be helpful to your advocacy journey.

1.Relationships with teachers and schools

Positive relationships with teachers and schools are keys to advancing needs of gifted students. A strong partnership is built when parents and teachers are on the same team fighting for the same cause. PTA groups who work alongside teachers often clearly communicate expectations and outcomes of their planned program, they solicit teachers鈥� input during any event/program planning process, get teacher participation during implementation, and invite teachers鈥� feedback for future improvement.

2. Continuity

To make a sustained impact in a school district and the community, continuity in the PTA鈥檚 leadership is very important. The core group that鈥檚 leading the PTA needs to have a working knowledge of the group鈥檚 past success and failures, know the ever-changing needs of students and classrooms and always plan ahead to mitigate any possible conflict that may arise. To do so requires awareness for the political landscape of the District and relationships with the administrators and teachers, as well as a deep familiarity with the logistical needs of any PTA-led programs and events.

3. Parent leadership within the group

It goes without saying that a PTA group needs to be led by parents. There are PTA groups that have parents as members, but the group is actually led by a classroom teacher or a school administrator. If the leaders are not parents, how can they fundamentally understand the needs of parents and advocate for them? There are other groups with parent leaders who also happen to be a teacher or administrator, and that is a great asset. PTA leaders should always authentically represent the makeup of their group.

4. Open forum time within meetings

Everyone鈥檚 voice counts. During PTA meetings, any members can share the successes and challenges of their parenting journey. That way, every member feels that they are a part of movement that is making a positive impact on everyone in the group. The more engaged parents are, the stronger the group is.

5. Lunch hour monthly meetings in the District office building

In Blue Valley, Kansas the Parent Advocates for Gifted Education (PAGE) group holds monthly lunch meetings in the District office building. Over the years, the meetings have become very popular and well-attended by District staff because they are during lunch hours and staff don鈥檛 have to travel far to attend these meetings. Some of the meetings are advocacy-based, while others are training based. These meetings have helped district staff to better understand the needs of their students and are more prepared to work with the gifted population.

6. Money raised through summer camps donated back to each gifted classroom in the District

Another lesson learned from Blue Valley PAGE is giving back to the gifted classroom. Blue Valley PAGE runs a summer robotics camp, each year, as their student participation number has grown, so goes the proceeds of the program. The PAGE group then equally divides the proceeds and awards every gifted classroom and their teacher a grant to run any special projects in the classroom. Teachers love the extra help to support their students, PAGE runs a successful summer camp, and the students now have more opportunities to learn. It鈥檚 a win-win situation for everyone!

Successful parent advocacy requires friendship, broad coalition, and steadfast persistence. Also, don鈥檛 forget to have fun! Working with people who believe in the same mission often produces the best results!

Like this post?听听to receive more stories, information, and resources about gifted youth straight to your inbox.

The winter holidays are officially behind us and if you鈥檙e like us here at 优蜜视频, summer is now on your mind! We鈥檙e looking forward to trading in boots for flip-flops, scarves for suntans and short January days spent indoors for the long outdoor days of July. Young Adult fiction author Jenny Han captured this feeling best when , 鈥淓verything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.鈥�

Summer brings with it much more than warm weather and outdoor fun, however. And for gifted students in particular, their insatiable thirst for knowledge does not take a summer vacation. In fact, they often clamor for more rigorous, individualized learning that focuses on their personal areas of interest. (How often have you heard your gifted student say, 鈥淢om! There鈥檚 a robotics/coding/physics/theater camp happening in July! I really want to go!鈥�) The 2013 compendium Expanding Minds and Opportunities: The Power of Afterschool and Summer Learning for Student Success, sums up this perspective perfectly: 鈥淓ffective [鈥 summer learning programs expand learning opportunities. They do not replicate classroom lessons鈥� (Connelly & Young, 222). For precisely this reason, gifted students thrive in high-quality, intentionally-designed summer programs.

First and foremost, summer provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in meaningful, rigorous learning outside of the confines of a traditional classroom setting 鈥� and away from traditional testing, benchmarks, and standards. Rather than being taught to a test, students have a greater say in what they learn, how they learn it, and how they choose to present their acquisition of new knowledge. Instead of taking a multiple-choice test, as they may have to do time after time during the school year, students in a gifted summer program might design and construct an engineering project; write, direct and star in a short film about their favorite literary character; or design and test an experiment according to a hypothesis they鈥檝e always wanted to explore.

One of the best personal projects I鈥檝e seen came from a 12-year-old student in a Newtonian physics class. Rather than make a tri-fold display showing examples of where Newtonian concepts can be found in everyday life, this student decided to combine his interest in physics with his passion for skateboarding. He made a short film of himself doing various skateboarding jumps and tricks, then added graphics to highlight which laws of motion were present, when, and where. He effectively combined physics, filmmaking, and graphic design, and followed up with further explanation on what he had learned 鈥� thereby also practicing public speaking. He was provided with a forum to work across disciplines and, more importantly, was able to take ownership of his learning.

At overnight camps and residential programs, outcomes and takeaways extend far beyond academics alone. Sleepaway opportunities help gifted students gain independence, make and own many of their decisions and build self-confidence by exposing them to environments in which not every decision is made for them. While they may still need to follow a given schedule, they are often presented with choices between different activities, classes and social engagements. For some, this may be their first foray into doing their own laundry, setting their alarm clock (and sticking to it!) and making it to meals and classes on time. As such, students gain ownership of their daily schedule and learn to set priorities.

For older students, many summer programs take place on college campuses, often providing first exposure to the higher education experience. Their eyes light up as they walk across the quad, sit in lecture halls, comb through library stacks, and watch chemistry labs in action. Through these experiences, the erstwhile faraway prospect of college becomes more of a reality, instilling further excitement in studying what they are most passionate about in a setting that inspires them.

Lastly, summer programs provide many with their first exposure to a setting of exclusively gifted students 鈥� especially if their school does not have a gifted program. Often, students report feeling like they have found their home away from home, that they fit in, and feel comfortable being who they are. Being around like-minded peers exposes gifted students to a new community: one in which it鈥檚 cool to be smart, push yourself and see things from seemingly endless perspectives.

With an ever-expanding array of summer gifted programs to choose from, the selection process may seem daunting, but there is sure to be a program that fits your child鈥檚 needs academically, social-emotionally and geographically. We would be more than happy to answer any questions or provide guidance! For more on 优蜜视频 and other summer gifted programs, please visit: our website and .

Like this post?听听to receive more stories, information, and resources about gifted youth straight to your inbox.

Source:

Peterson, Terry K., editor. Expanding Minds and Opportunities: Leveraging the Power of Afterschool and Summer Learning for Student Success. Collaborative Communications Group, 2013.

Louise is 优蜜视频鈥檚 Academy Coordinator. Academy offers K-8th grade students challenging enrichment classes that focus on exploration and application of knowledge.

This year, 优蜜视频 had the tremendous opportunity to host both 3-week Summer Academy sessions at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, that scholar鈥檚 paradise situated in the center of San Marino, known and loved by curious minds near and far, young and not so young! It was a boon to our community to enjoy this remarkable location, and more, to begin to appreciate how such partnering might enrich our classes further. As we conclude our inaugural Academy program at The Huntington, we look back at the summer sessions through the eyes of our most important critics: the Academy students themselves!

鈥業 LOVED EVERYTHING!!!鈥� screams the written evaluation from Simone O. on her post-program survey. Simone spent the summer in classes like Ancient Rome, Physics Lab, Planetary Astronomy and Scientists Like Me, devoting a fair amount of time in between with her nose in a book, a smile on her face and an eager commitment to staying for extra time on Thursdays to enjoy our mini-lecture series. She, along with the other friends she made, also described making new connections and 鈥榰nforgettable memories at The Huntington鈥�. As they hung out at lunch, shared stories and laughter, walked the gardens and dodged the sprinklers, they took time to tell us:

• We do unique, fun experiments and activities to further our understanding of demanding concepts, such as creating a diagram of the solar system made out of different food items to help demonstrate each planet鈥檚 qualities
• It was challenging intellectually – but in a good way!
• We鈥檝e understood art and art history through cool scavenger hunts in the gallery
• The teachers have been such a big part in our learning process. They have the ability to make learning fun and much more interactive than regular school
• We were inspired by scientists from the past by visiting the 鈥楤eautiful Science鈥� exhibit
• You get the chance to work at a pace that suits your own learning style and level of interest
• We understood the context of Bronte鈥檚 Jane Eyre through seeing and talking about key texts with a leading curator (even though the text was impossible to read!)

What鈥檚 more, the students told us that all classes were overall more in-depth and more specific than anything they鈥檝e had the chance to enjoy so far 鈥� as well as being interestingly inter-disciplinary! Feedback, so far then, suggests this time was, indeed, one of 鈥榩aradise鈥�.

Naturally, watching friendships develop and personalities emerge is, of course, a major part of the summer camp experience. For 优蜜视频 staff and Academy teachers, one of the most thrilling parts of the last 6 weeks has been watching our community of children grow intellectually, as well as socially, and grow to believe that their passions and interests are shared with others and could give them pathways to a unique future. Parents, too, have taken extra time to write and to let us know how glad they are to have 鈥榙iscovered鈥� us, that their child 鈥榟ad a blast鈥� and that their child 鈥榠s already asking about when she can take another class鈥�. In addition, as we evaluate, we love to hear your ideas for future classes, from Robotics to Botany, from Architecture to Art History; rest assured, we will continue to listen and respond.

The Oxford English Dictionary tells me that the lexical item 鈥楶aradise鈥� can be traced back to Middle English to the Old French word, 鈥榩aradis鈥�, via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek 鈥榩aradeisos鈥� or ‘royal (enclosed) park’. Having been on site at The Huntington did indeed elevate us and make us feel 鈥榬oyal鈥� and protected, but in a more modern sense of the word, as young scholars, our Academy students found their idyllic place and their idyllic state of mind in a safe and stimulating community.

Thanks to all who contributed their honest thoughts to this blog and to all who made this happen, and happen so successfully! It was paradise.

See more highlights from Summer 2014 Academy!

More information about Fall 2014 Academy coming soon! To stay updated on future offerings, join our email list.

Every gifted child has a unique story. The following story is part of a series of posts highlighting gifted children and adults we have found through 优蜜视频 programs, depicting the many faces of gifted. 优蜜视频鈥檚 – mentioned in this story 鈥� links gifted high school students from across the country with mentors who advance each participant鈥檚 skills through the application of knowledge and exposure to real world experiences.

Garrett Marcotte
优蜜视频 Apprentice at Avery Research Center in 2004
Software engineer, Facebook

鈥淛ust go for it, because the earlier you gain experience, the greater the benefits you鈥檒l reap from that experience later on. Push yourself beyond your comfort zone, and never be discouraged by failure. Learn from it and do better next time, because you will improve.鈥� – Garrett Marcotte

As a high school sophomore, Garrett participated in 优蜜视频鈥檚 Apprenticeship Program, working with Avery Research Center. Today, Garrett is a software engineer at Facebook, designing and writing the code that makes the popular social networking service work.

After high school, Garrett attended Princeton University and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering and minors in Computer Science and Robotics. While at Princeton, Garrett took every class he could in all subject areas because he 鈥渄idn鈥檛 want to miss out on any of it.鈥�

Garrett has worked in a variety of jobs, including internships at JPL and Google, a research position at USC, and as a teacher鈥檚 assistant and grader at Princeton. He also spent a summer trying (unsuccessfully) to launch an internet start-up company.

Garrett has been at Facebook for about 18 months and enjoys the work very much. He hopes to get involved again in a start-up company someday. 鈥淚鈥檓 particularly interested in applying technology to education, politics, non-profits, and global issues, so I could easily see myself doing something in that area. But there鈥檚 so much exciting innovation going on all around me every day that I鈥檓 really just trying to keep pace with all the opportunities and go wherever I can have the most impact and really make a difference in the world.鈥�

Although a Facebook IPO is looming, Garrett focuses on the task at hand:

What really attracted me to Facebook was the opportunity to touch the lives of hundreds of millions of people on a daily basis, to contribute to a product that has changed the world, from the individual level of reconnecting friends and families up to the international level of helping millions organize for a common cause. In the Silicon Valley tech world there’s a strong belief that if you build a great product then you will be rewarded accordingly. Facebook is no exception, so the focus of all the employees that I know, from Mark Zuckerberg on down, is the same as it’s always been: to make Facebook the best that we possibly can and a real force for good in the world.

Garrett credits the Apprenticeship Program with giving him a huge jump start on his life path in several ways:

First, it helped me evaluate my interests. The fact that I signed up for a chemistry program but ended up spending most of time programming and working with electronics made it pretty clear where my real passion lay. And it was due to the diversity of projects available and freedom in selecting a project that I was able to reach that realization. Second, the program was a stepping-stone to future opportunities. The experience of owning a project, driving an end-to-end solution, and working within all the constraints of a real-world environment formed a central part of my college applications and job interviews for several years after the program. Finally, I jumped several years ahead of the curve in the field of signal processing, and in particular the most important software program in that field, Matlab. Most of my peers had no exposure to either of these until college, and because of that I was prepared for higher level courses and more advanced opportunities at a younger age. For example, I鈥檓 certain that I would not have been able to intern at JPL right out of high school if it hadn鈥檛 been for the skills I picked up during the Apprenticeship Program.

Although Garrett doesn鈥檛 see the other Apprentices on a regular basis, their paths have crossed a few times. 鈥淭he shared experience of the Apprenticeship program really is a common bond that ties us together even after several years.鈥�

For more about Garrett’s Apprenticeship at Avery Research Center, read听.听

There are still听spots available for our Apprenticeship Program in Los Angeles and San Diego. !

Like this post? Please share!