Student Excellence Awards

The Student Excellence Award is presented each summer to a small group of students in recognition of their commitment to our core program values of academic success, community, and college readiness. Students are chosen based on their excellence in course work, engagement in program activities, and dedication to building community with peers, staff, and faculty. 

This year's recipients of the Student Excellence Award are:

• Isabella Ratchford
• Daniah Alsagheer

College Readiness Certificate

Our online College Readiness course is an extension of our daily learning. It is designed for personal enrichment; for students to reflect on their own abilities as well as to share insights and ideas with peers. To complete the course's learning pathway, students participate in four modules focused on critical thinking, wellness, service, and self-advocacy. In addition to readings and discussions with peers, students complete four separate mini-projects. Once all four modules are completed students are recognized with our digital learning badge. This certification highlights the student's commitment to their college readiness and academic journey. 

We are very proud of this impressive group of pre-college students who completed the College Readiness Course in addition to their program course work and other summer obligations:

• Grace Jackson
• Aminata Seck
• Emma Mastnak
• Olivia Moore
• Seneca Ahrens
• Grace Li
• Erin Faulkner
• Nazirah Ojeda
• Payton Chapple
• Aleena Ahmad

Reflection Essay Contest Winner

All pre-college students are invited to participate in our annual Reflection Essay Contest. To participate in the contest, students submit an essay reflecting on their program experience and it's impact on their college preparedness. The winner of this year's contest is Erin Faulkner. You can view Erin's winning submission here.

Photo Contest Winner

As our in-person program attendees explore the WashU campus and St. Louis community, we invite them to capture special moments and submit them to our annual Photo Contest. The winning photo, included below, was submitted by Asa Kasthuri.

Student Advisory and Committee Members

We also want to extend a thank you to students who served on our summer Student Advisory Group, Sunshine Committee and Cross-Cultural Connections Committee. Through their roles, these students provided invaluable feedback, support, and assessment of the program experience. 

Student Advisory Group

• Abe Marshall
• Henry Fisher
• Soham Ray
• Sarah Zakarneh
• Serena Varela
• Grace Jackson
• Anna Colton
• Brodie Mohler
• Hayley Cauthen
• Elle Jashnani

Sunshine Committee

• Abby Landres
• Aleena Ahmad
• Sophia Naronov
• Adam Cegielski
• Naomi Jordan
• Keira Williams
• Ben Bartels

Cross-Cultural Connections Committee

• Belle Yang
• Mia Zhang
• Hamzah Alhamad
• Heather Yang
• Mishka Sharma
• Benjamin Luebke
• Leon Pan

Bear Tracks Passport

At the beginning of our in-person programs, students receive a Bear Tracks Passport. This passport is a fun and meaningful way to track students' progress as they engage in events, workshops, and academic sessions in our various enrichment curriculums...and they earn some WashU swag! We want to recognize the students that went above and beyond with their passports, earning at least two stamps in our four primary enrichment curriculum areas as well as a stamp each in our exploring WashU and St. Louis categories:

• Ben Bartels
• Grace Jackson
• Lilian Huang
• Catherine Lee
• Riya Reddy
• Aminata Seck
• Selynna Song
• Journeih Sultan
• Keira Williams
• Seneca Ahrens
• Lydia Berry
• Rosie Gu
• Sarah DiGuido
• Elle Jashnani
• Abbie Neitz
• Aiden Rubin de la Borbolla
• Chryssa Smith