Published on April 14, 2021

If somebody tells you to spend your summer vacation doing a course, the knee-jerk reaction is one of horror and anger. To think that you spent an entire year going to school, and now somebody is telling you to go do a summer course. That just feels like a betrayal of your youth. The thought always comes to our minds that there is enough time in the future to do this kind of thing. Right now, you want to head out and meet your friends, go for movies, sit at cafes, and bounce from the city for the much-deserved vacation. You don’t want more of school and teachers.

And that is the issue. Summer program sounds like an extension of school or tuition. Or even like forced labor. ‘Summer school’ has that ring to it, that makes you think that you’ll have to wear your uniform and go learn maths or physics. But what about films? Or arts? Or going for a trek to the Himalayas to help build a shelter? Well, we never consider those as ‘summer programs’.

Basically, a summer program is something you do when you have the time. Which is generally in the summer, or sometimes even in the winters. So it means, you choose what you want to do in the time that you have. Nobody is forcing you to do a course to increase your multiplication and division skills. The choice is yours based on what you are interested in.

We always hear this when we’re in high school – ‘What do you want to do in the future?’ Well, how are you supposed to know? By reading an article? By hearing an uncle speak about something? By listening to your parents tell you what to do? Or maybe, just maybe, you could think about what you really want and then dip your toes in?

Say you always wanted to have your own business someday. Now that can remain a dream, or you could go for an entrepreneur-based summer program. What if you want to become a journalist? You obviously would like to speak to someone who will teach you about what a journalist does. What if you want to change the world, but don’t know how? You could do a summer program that teaches you about being a leader in social change.

A summer program isn’t a long course with exams. It’s generally short, interactive, and fun. Cause they understand you’re just high school students, so they don’t want to make anything boring. You get to meet new people from different high schools, learn something you want to learn, and take back some stories to your friends. Also, there is enough time to enjoy the rest of your vacation.

So why should you as a high schooler do a summer program?

1. It lets you test out what you want to do in the future. Want to be a writer? Do a writing summer program.

2. You meet new people, build friendships and expand your network. This includes the people who conduct the course. They will come in real handy when you want a job later.

3. Colleges love this. Every high school student has a resume with grades. This will set you apart from the rest.

4. You can experiment. This isn’t school, you can try new skills, new things, without any fear of failure.

5. Get a sense of college culture. You are treated like an adult and will get a feel of what college has in store for you.

6. Learn leadership and teamwork when you do group activities with people you don’t know.

7. You are challenging yourself. It’s easy to do nothing, it takes guts to do something. And it’s something that you want to do.

A summer program shouldn’t be seen as something boring that you’re forced to do. Look at it as you being able to see into the future. A lot of pressure is put on a high-school student to make the right decision, for the rest of your life, when you’re still in your teens. But until you actually try something, you shouldn’t be forced to decide your future. Have a taste first, only then see if you want to buy it.

Published on April 9, 2021

We’re generally surrounded by people who want something from us. Parents, teachers, relatives, even some friends. Everyone has their own expectations from us and our lives. And in the middle of all this noise, we tend to forget what we wanted from our own life. Maybe that’s why we need to add someone to this mix, who’ll help us find that path back.

Here enters a Mentor

We all have fuzzy definitions of what a mentor is. A guru? A guide? A teacher? A holy man? A beaming light from the heavens? Well, it could be all of the above, or it could be something else entirely. Depends on what you want. Think of a mentor as just someone to speak with, who can give you a perspective that you never thought existed, who can offer ‘empathetic assistance’ to the questions in your head.

Mentorship is a way to have a frank and open conversation, where you can put your dreams on the table. If this person is a good mentor, they will respond to it with a genuine concern for your ambitions. They won’t put their own ambitions into your head. They can encourage and inspire you, be that sounding board for your doubts, maybe even introduce you to a new career path. This isn’t therapy, it’s a peer you can talk to who’ll help widen your horizons.

Now, why would they do that?

A mentor is someone who doesn’t have a stake in your life, so if you do something wrong, they aren’t going to scold you or shout at you. They have their own lives and their own mistakes to make. Mentors are people who feel like helping others out. They’ve been through the same stuff you’re probably going through – The exam stress, the worry about colleges, about careers, about life. Maybe they had a mentor when they were starting off, or maybe they wish they had one and feel like making sure you do. They’re just there to be an objective voice, to present a different view to the same problem. To tell you how it really is, to not sugar coat things for you.

We often have problems but are too afraid to ask for help. Wouldn’t it be nice to speak to someone who’s faced it as well? If you are confused about colleges, wouldn’t it be nice to speak with someone who’s in Harvard? If you want to be an engineer, wouldn’t you want someone from Google to tell you how to get there? To be a writer, wouldn’t it be great to share a word with a published author? And that’s how mentorship programs help you out. They connect you with mentors. Literally, just that.

You might think that it’s not for you because you’re still young. But we’re more confused when we’re young. We’re carrying more questions when we’re young. We’re also up for a challenge and ready to make changes faster in our lives. We don’t feel the weight of the world yet, and it feels like an exploration. As it should.

But why mentorship for a high school student?

• It accelerates your progress by removing obstacles.

• You can test out ideas that you might not be comfortable sharing with others.

• It can help you gain clarity to find your path.

• You develop effective communication skills, chatting with people apart from your friends and

  family.

• They help you see the pitfalls that might come your way.

• It helps boost your confidence.

• Set yourself apart from the rest. It could almost be considered a 21st-century skill to have a mentor.

• You can possibly tap into the network and contacts that they have.

In your life, you will have multiple mentors. People who will come in and out of your life, to help you move just a bit more forward. This isn’t about moving mountains, but helping you gain the momentum you need, to build the life you want. And along the way, to make some new friends.

Always know that mentors come in all forms. Who or what has been a mentor for you? Share below.