During the summer, Saint Mary’s College hosted a variety of summer camps and programs for young students from elementary through high school, with record numbers of participants. According to their website, Saint Mary’s College’s summer programs aim to carry out the college’s mission to “empower women at all stages of life.”
While the college has offered a variety of summer camps for over 40 years, this summer 16 different programs were offered, led by Saint Mary’s faculty, staff and student mentors. Some of these programs included youth programs in music and fine arts, athletic programs, and pre-college programs in health care, theology, forensics, business and more.
Gabriella Maxwell, director of pre-degree programs and strategic initiatives, reported that a large part of the college’s efforts are focused on securing funding for student scholarships from donors at the individual, corporate and foundation levels.
“Among the many highlights, we were particularly pleased to be able to award over 280 scholarships this summer. Over 65 percent of all camp participants received financial assistance to participate in the programs,” Maxwell said.
A significant portion of their funding this summer came from a grant from the Lilly Foundation’s Indiana Youth Programs on Campus program, awarded in 2023. This grant enabled Maxwell and the pre-college and summer programs to “establish a new department, develop new programs, engage faculty, create partnerships, enhance the program experience, and provide generous scholarships.”
The preparatory programs are specifically designed for high school students and offer college credit upon completion of the week-long overnight camp with Saint Mary’s.
“The programs are very experiential, and students have the opportunity to explore career prospects, interact with professionals in their field, participate in educational field trips and lectures, and receive mentorship from SMC faculty and students,” Maxwell said. “Students in pre-college programs also experience college life, sleeping in our residence halls, eating together in the dining hall, and enjoying special evening events.”
These programs don’t just provide high school students with the experience of college life. For sophomore Marina De Castro Vasconcelos, working for the pre-college and summer programs was her introduction to Saint Mary’s and ultimately the reason for her enrollment as a student.
“I met my boss, Gabriella Maxwell, at a Brazilian barbecue… I had just finished my senior year of high school and was planning on going home for the summer because it was my first year in the U.S. And she asked, ‘What are you going to do for the summer?’ and I said, ‘I have no plans, I’m just going home.’ And she offered me a job. I hadn’t applied to any of the colleges here, but I got the job,” said De Castro Vasconcelos.
While working with Maxwell and the pre- and summer programs, De Castro Vasconcelos fell in love with Saint Mary’s community and campus, and it was then that she decided to apply to college.
“I applied here at the end of June (2023) and was accepted in mid-July, so everything happened very quickly,” said De Castro Vasconcelos.
In her second year with the summer programs, De Castro Vasconcelos was in charge of enrollment and entertainment.
“We worked practically all summer… I got here around May 20, it was a lot of office work. I called a lot of campers, people who had found out about it or had signed up but hadn’t finished registering,” said De Castro Vasconcelos. “Once they were here, we were basically all there for them… If they needed anything, I was usually the one running around camp, just making sure everyone was happy.”
Although her role entailed all sorts of tasks to ensure everything ran smoothly, her favorite aspect of the job was talking to the campers.
“It was just great to talk to some of the current campers… I loved hearing the girls’ testimonies this week and it was such a judgment-free zone. It was amazing how free they feel here and how they can be themselves,” said De Castro Vasconcelos. “It’s a pretty rewarding thing.”
She encourages all freshmen, or anyone who knows a freshman, to consider participating in a summer program and getting to know the Saint Mary’s community.
“If you’re not sure but are considering it, I would say just come, apply and see how it feels,” said De Castro Vasconcelos. “You can eat in the cafeteria, sleep in one of the dorms, attend lectures and walk around campus. It’s amazing.”
