Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamt of going to college. So, when I was offered the opportunity to visit Harvard University this summer by Miss Gaddis, one of my teachers, I knew I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass me up. I’m so glad I didn’t. 

Going to Harvard opened my eyes to how college courses really are and the endless opportunities that come along with college. It showed me what attending college would be like. It is so much different from high school – from the way classes are structured to the instructors themselves, plus all the freedom you could ask for.

One of the most influential parts of this trip was gaining so much knowledge from the program we attended, Harvard Academies. The classes in the program were taught by Harvard undergradate students who were actually living out my dreams! I had no previous marketing/advertising experience, but I’ve been thinking about pursuing a career in these fields. This opportunity gave me hands-on experience, not only with college classes, but also experience with working on a team of new people, thinking through a concept, and pitching an idea to a group of people. Each day, we had a lesson on different topics, such as public speaking or how to pitch a start-up business idea properly. We also had two guest speakers join us. They talked about ways to become successful, start your own business, and tips on how to efficiently find the best investors for our own businesses.

Of course, I’d be wrong if I didn’t include the significant social aspects of the trip. Having recently moved to America from Jamaica myself, I was delighted to meet so many other students from different parts of the country and enjoyed getting to know them.