Applying to colleges can be the most challenging and exciting part of high school for some students. Deciding where you want to spend your next four years is overwhelming, especially when you throw in the uncertainty of a pandemic into the mix. Although all of these challenges were present during the college application season, it did not slow down Summer Smentek; a recent graduate from Plainfield South High School from Plainfield, Illinois. We have had the pleasure of having Smentek attend a series of our courses such as Digital Photography and Photoshop Camp.
Smentek has recently accepted her admission to Harvard in Boston, Massachusetts. There, Smentek will be going for her undergraduate degree in Integrative Biology and a minor in Psychology. Smenteks dreams of becoming a wildlife conservationist field research scientist working with vulnerable, threatened and endangered African Mammals. Her dreams have always been big, they had to be after developing an incredible work ethic and discovering this passion for wildlife. After applying to 18 schools she heard from Harvard, “in so many ways it was an offer I could not refuse,” Smentek said, “it was about finding a program that fit my educational wants and financial needs.”
Smentek was the president and founder of the school’s Environmental Club, President of ASL Club, member of National Honor Society and a member of the Crochet Club that made nests for fire-impacted Australian Wildlife, just to name a few. With over 800 hours of community service, somehow Smentek still found time to pursue her hobby of photography through two of the programs we offer.
Smentek participated in the Digital Photography course and Photoshop Camp. “I can already see how digital photography will serve me as an animal conservationist field researcher,”Smentek said. Through these courses and spending time with other members of the Dr. BSH Foundation Smentek said that the programs taught her a lot about getting out of her comfort zone.
As a secret introvert, as Smentek describes herself, the Ivy League interview process was pretty scary but after gaining self confidence through the workshops, “it gave me the courage to reach for things that were beyond my normal comfort level, Smentek said, “perhaps it was instrumental to my admission there.” There are many reasons to be excited about attending a prestigious university such as Harvard,
but for Smentek she is most excited about the opportunities to study abroad and learn about various research projects along the way. With many big dreams and lots of goals to accomplish along her way Smentek wants her fellow classmates and other students to remember to, “stay organized and get ahead over the summer to make it a lot less overwhelming during the school year,” Smentek described applying to colleges as a full time job. But most importantly, Smentek encourages students to always think big, reach outside of their comfort zone and work hard. You never know where it may land you.