鈥淚 am happy to be in a room of too鈥檚,鈥� said Betsy Jones, 优蜜视频 President, as we concluded 优蜜视频’s Summer Spotlight this year. 鈥淲e are all too鈥檚 鈥� too emotional, too smart, too intense鈥�.鈥�

Tuesday, June 8, was a bright evening of community, learning, and friendship as 优蜜视频 and its community gathered at the University of Southern California for dinner and a time of sharing. Eight 优蜜视频 Apprentices, who studied Industrial Design under Stan Kong at Art Center College of Design, displayed their impressive concept design sketches 鈥� pieces of art that would later become final projects. Posters, books, and sculptures created by Academy students, Caroline D. Bradley Scholars, and Yunasa campers were also scattered about USC鈥檚 Vineyard Room, along with plenty of photos of Academy kids at The Huntington Library, Art Collection, and Botanical Gardens; Yunasa West campers frolicking in Colorado; and CDB Scholars who convened for the Bradley Seminar in April.

After dinner, 优蜜视频鈥檚 Program Coordinators introduced speakers from each of 优蜜视频’s programs. Min-Ling Li, the valiant leader of 29 Apprentices, began by announcing both Alex T., who is studying shock waves with Dr. Eliasson at USC, and Robert, an Industrial Design Apprentice.

Alex鈥檚 speech was an expounded acrostic he created from the letters of 优蜜视频: I 鈥撯�淚 am Alex,鈥� he began. This is Alex鈥檚 second year as an 优蜜视频 Apprentice, and he thanked the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship program for introducing him to an opportunity that would change his life. 鈥淥nce you are a part of 优蜜视频, you support it, and it supports you,鈥� he said. E 鈥� 鈥淓ager. That is what the students here are,鈥� Alex continued. Finally, A 鈥� 鈥淎pprentice…we are all Apprentices, because every day we learn something new. One thing I learned while I was here is of all the gifted children being overlooked by teachers. 优蜜视频 works to find them and help them come to terms with their giftedness鈥nstitute for Educational Advancement: intelligent, eager, able,鈥� he concluded.

Robert, who came to the Los Angeles-based Apprenticeship Program all the way from Miami, is a first-year Apprentice who described his experience as a time of extremely hard work and the unbelievable opportunity to 鈥渟tudy at a school he hopes to get into in a field he hopes to make a career out of.鈥�

One of 优蜜视频鈥檚 earliest Caroline D. Bradley Scholars, Ryan, spoke next: 鈥淚t鈥檚 much more than a monetary gift 鈥� it鈥檚 a community,鈥� he said of CDB. According to Ryan, CDB helped him develop the confidence to be whatever it is he wanted to be. When it was time to apply for college, the CDB coordinator helped him apply. Ryan opted for Harvard, where he began by pursuing an education in engineering, ended up in neuroscience, found himself in musical theater, and finished his degree in creative arts. Now Ryan produces movies 鈥� Lego movies, of late.

, stood upon a chair to reach the microphone and talked about how, in the past year at 优蜜视频, he has taken a Shakespeare class from a professional actor, advanced his math skills with a teacher who made it fun, made his first short film, painted himself blue using ice and an infrared camera in his first Physics class, and was introduced to the Spanish language for the first time. 鈥淚f that wasn鈥檛 enough,鈥� he said, 鈥溣琶凼悠� has given me this opportunity in public speaking!鈥�

Finally, 10-year-old Alexander A., who also stood on a chair to speak, described Yunasa as a place where he is able to be himself, a place where he feels loved and accepted by all the people around him. At Yunasa and Yunasa West, Alexander has learned practical ways to help him calm down when he feels tense and emotional. He talked about Senior Fellows Patricia Gatto Walden, Ph.D., and Michael Piechowski, Ph.D., who have given him hugs and engaged him in conversations about deep and interesting things. Alexander鈥檚 favorite Yunasa activity is the low ropes course because, he said, 鈥測ou get to work as a team to get through obstacles.鈥�

When the young brilliant pundits of 优蜜视频 finished their enlightening speeches, Betsy Jones told a story of a girl she met at Yunasa West this year. This young lady explained to Betsy that when she feels sad, she spends time with her 鈥淭oo People.鈥� She has always been told that she is 鈥渢oo intense, too distracted, too talkative, too quiet, too much,鈥� so her stuffed animals became a family of 鈥渢oo鈥檚鈥� who provide a safe place where she can exist without feeling chastised. 优蜜视频 has been around for 16 years, and it is still one of the only organizations in the world where, as Betsy said, these young brilliant individuals 鈥渃an grow and learn and be and do whatever it is they want to do.鈥�

Summer Spotlight was an evening of illumination 鈥� a light shone upon a community of 鈥渢oo鈥檚鈥� and the programs that help them to grow, succeed, learn, and feel safe to be themselves.

Take a look at more photos from Summer Spotlight 2014!

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