Students test college at CU with help from Sapient Foundation

By Stephanie Li

The students of Catherine Burroughs' writing seminar are vigorously discussing the nature of Iago. While Justin Mathis admires the wit and deceptive skills of Shakespeare's villain, Clarence Vincent concludes that the character is just "crazy." Other students comment on Iago's rhetorical devices, unpacking the complicated metaphors and images of Othello. Although all of these students will be entering their senior year of high school this fall, their excitement and insights into the subtleties of Shakespeare's language would silence a room of English graduate students.

Three students attending Summer College on Sapient Foundation scholarships, from left, Brandon M. Faulcon, Stacy Johnson and Kimberly O. Snowden, meet July 24 after Peter Fortunato's Critical Reading and Writing class. Richard Killen/University Photography

Mathis, Vincent and many others are attending Cornell Summer College for High School Students through the Friends of Sapient Charitable Foundation (FSCF), an organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities to underprivileged students who are highly motivated and recruited by Teach for America teachers in their high schools. This year 23 students from four Baltimore area high schools are taking classes ranging from Music Theory to College Study Skills as part of the FSCF's Gifted Student Summer Program. They join 600 other high school students attending Summer College, now in its 40th year.

The collaboration between FSCF and Summer College began with Chris Markesky, one of the foundation's founders and a 1994 Cornell alumnus. (The other foundation founder is Mike O'Dell.). Markesky recognized that by linking FSCF with his alma mater, students from under-resourced schools would have the opportunity to explore college life and improve their academic skills at Cornell. FSCF has been working with Summer College since 1999, when four students attended the program. In just three years, the total number of students sponsored by FSCF has increased more than fivefold. All of the students who have participated in Sapient's summer programs have enrolled at four-year colleges and universities, many receiving full or partial academic scholarships.

For many of the students in Burroughs' writing seminar, Summer College provides a unique opportunity to work closely with a professor and receive personal attention in order to improve their reading and writing skills. Marquita Brown noted that one of the best aspects of the class is the in-depth discussions, which are impossible at her high school where classes are packed with 40 or more students. Shaina Lennon has improved her critical writing skills and feels more confident organizing her thoughts on paper. For other students like Vincent, this experience offers the opportunity to excel in an atmosphere in which "we are treated more as equals."

The students of Burroughs' writing seminar came to Cornell hoping not only to improve their academic skills, but also to get a taste of college life. In addition to sharpening his critical reading and writing abilities, Jamaal Simpson is learning to manage his time better and "how to just get things done." He noted that the most important lesson he's learned so far is about responsibility, since "no one's going to wake you up and get you to class but you." Brown agreed that Summer College offers an education well beyond the classroom, noting that she most enjoys the diversity of people at Cornell. Meeting people with different attitudes, ideas and backgrounds has been the highlight of her summer so far.

The students sponsored by the FSCF also are matched with mentors who are employees of Sapient, a Massachusetts-based consulting company. The mentors offer the students help with their studies, guidance on college selection and advice on how to successfully balance the pressures of school. In some cases, the Sapient mentors are paired with students according to their professional interests. Simpson, for example, has learned more about the field of engineering through his Sapient mentor.

Others enjoy the personal attention provided by the relationship. Brown, for example, recently went canoeing with her mentor. The mentor relationships provided by FSCF may explain Burroughs' observation that the Sapient students are distinguished by having "a really strong support system" and "a sense of a community standing behind them." She noted that such support systems might provide a model for other students involved in Summer College.

The Baltimore students also are paired with Cornell undergraduate mentors from the Office for Minority Educational Affairs during their six-week stay on campus.

Leaders of both Summer College and FSCF said they would like to see a continued expansion of the partnership.

"We hope that by expanding this program in Baltimore a critical mass of students will experience a more rigorous education, see that they can succeed and do well at Cornell and have an impact on their peers," said Abby Eller, director of Summer College. "We believe that the aspirations of these students can uplift the entire high school toward higher education."