UMW Summer Enrichment Program Gives High-Schoolers a Sneak Peek at College Life

July 23, 2026

Lisa Chinn Marvashti

A woman in blue scrubs holds a surgical instrument and a pink suture-practice pad while helping a student learn to sew stitches — Aiden Anderson, who attends the Academy of Technology and Innovation at UMW, practices stitching sutures at Mary Washington Healthcare with guidance from UMW alumna Sabrina Elliott ’17, a general surgery resident. The course, ‘Introduction to Healthcare Practices,’ was one of more than 20 offered during this year’s Summer Enrichment Program, which gives rising 10th- through 12th-graders a taste of college life. K Pearlman Photography.

Aiden Anderson poked a needle into a pink silicone tray, weaving black thread through an assortment of pre-cut lacerations. The practice exercise in suturing wounds at Mary Washington Healthcare could come in handy someday for Aiden, a sophomore at the Academy of Technology and Innovation at UMW’s Stafford Campus.

He was among about 70 aspiring medical professionals, artists, engineers and more who took part in last week’s Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), a six-day experience for rising 10th- through 12th-graders. Participants live in residence halls, take courses filled with hands-on learning and participate in extracurricular activities like the Wednesday-morning fieldtrip introducing students to hospital practices.

Part of a course taught by UMW Professor of Biology Deb O’Dell, the offering was among more than 20, covering everything from pop culture and culinary chemistry to environmental engineering and cybersecurity.

“The program continues to be a great introduction to college life,” said Associate Professor of Communication Elizabeth Johnson-Young, who coordinates SEP with Department of Biological Sciences Senior Lecturer Michael Stebar and College of Education Assistant Professor Danielle Ott. “Campers participate in a wide variety of courses, enrichment sessions, and field trips, and it’s exciting to see them engage and learn what a liberal arts education feels like at UMW.”

A professor wearing a white lab coat pushes buttons on a spectrometer while three students look on — Professor of Chemistry Leanna Giancarlo guides a group of Summer Enrichment Program participants through an exercise using a spectrometer to measure various aspects of light. K Pearlman Photography.

A girl and a boy wearing goggles sit next to each other inside a science lab — High-schoolers Mars Adamson of the Academy of Innovation and Technology at UMW and Lydia Herridge of Wiltshire, England, participate in ‘Chemistry Glow-Up. K Pearlman Photography.

Simeon Small, a Stafford High School sophomore, donned goggles and blue latex gloves for a course called “Chemistry Glow Up,” where students used spectrometers to explore how light is absorbed, reflected and measured. “I love this camp because I get to meet new people,” said Simeon, who praised SEP faculty like Professor of Chemistry Leanna Giancarlo, who led the glow-up session. “They teach college so they’re engaging, and they really know what they’re doing.”

A girl in a college classroom with brightly colored magic markers smiles while talking to a guy — Aly Parrish, a rising junior at Riverbend High School in Spotsylvania County, works with a partner to ask questions and learn more about him in an education-related Summer Enrichment Course called ‘Responsive Classroom: Building Relationships.’ K Pearlman Photography.

A woman in a classroom works on pasting materials onto a paper doll — Heather Soto, a senior at Saint Gertrude High School in Richmond, participates in ‘Responsive Classroom: Building Relationships.’ The course had students partnering to learn more about one another and create paper dolls portraying one another’s qualities and characteristics. K Pearlman Photography.

In “Responsive Classroom: Building Relationships,” taught by Department of Education Professors Brooke Powell and Susan Pearson, participants learned how helping students get to know one another can build stronger classroom communities. Riverbend High School junior Aly Parrish teamed up with a partner, discovering they share a love of soccer, a propensity for math and a favorite food – steak.

A woman uses a gluestick to attach something to a vision board. — Twin Valley High School student Sophie Whited works on her vision board. She’s scoping out colleges early and getting a head start by attending UMW’s Summer Enrichment Program. K Pearlman Photography.

Two guys sit at a table looking through magazines and building vision boards that represent themselves and their futures — Summer Enrichment Program participants in an enrichment session called ‘The Places You Will Go’ create vision boards focusing on college and career. K Pearlman Photography.

“The Places You Will Go,” led by Assistant Director of Career Education Mary Becelia, had campers using magazine clippings, stickers and other supplies to create “vision boards” focused on college and career. “I know what I want to do, but I want to make sure what I’m doing is going to get me there,” said Twin Valley High School sophomore Sophie Whited, who hopes to major in psychology and become an art therapist.

Saniyya Francis, a senior at Phoebus High School in Hampton, Virginia, participated in a similarly artistic project, picking through shoeboxes, egg cartons and paper towel rolls for the “Cardboard Sculptures” enrichment activity in UMW’s Seacobeck Hall Maker Space. “It’s been really fun,” she said of the session led by College of Education Assistant Professor Danielle Ott – and of the entire SEP experience. “We get to go to classrooms and live in the dorms. It’s basically like a mini-college.”

A student performs chest compressions on a fake patient while other students and healthcare professionals observe — Students in ‘Introduction to Healthcare Practices,’ one of more than 20 courses offered as part of UMW’s Sumer Enrichment Program, got to practice intubation (background) and chest compressions. K Pearlman Photography.

Several healthcare professionals sit in front of a whiteboard, addressing a group of students — High-schoolers in UMW’s Summer Enrichment Program heard from a panel of professionals at Mary Washington Healthcare. The panelists shared their job responsibilities and the paths they took to excel in their careers. K Pearlman Photography.

A dog looks at the camera, while several people's hands reach down to pet him — A 3-year-old Sheltie named Jessie was among a group of therapy dogs that came to Mary Washington Healthcare during a Summer Enrichment Program field trip that taught them about career paths in the medical field. K Pearlman Photography.

Find out more about UMW’s Summer Enrichment Program and follow them on Facebook to learn now to register for next year’s SEP experience.

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