My time at Barnard College's Summer in the City program will be something I cherish for the rest of my life. Getting to experience a liberal arts education in the city that never sleeps has been unlike any other. The people I met there and the amazing opportunities I got to take there are more than enough reasons why I would recommend any rising junior or senior girls to take part in this amazing program. Every class I had was engaging and interesting. I learned so many new and fascinating things in both my classes - Psychology of Media and New York City in Art and Film. Both of these subjects were ones that I'd been interested in learning more about for a long time but never got the chance to actually get into. This program gave me the opportunity to finally take some classes on psychology and art history.
In my art history class, we got to see the works of art we were studying in person since New York City has so many great museums that house these world-famous paintings and sculptures. This really allowed my classmates and I to better understand the art and how New York has impacted the art world in general. In my psychology class, we focused on how the media and world around us shaped how we processed and thought about things in general. This class gave me more perspective on how much media actually affects how cognitive processes and the way we see the world and society. Since our professor is a children's media expert, my class studied psychology through playing with children's toys and watching children's television programs to analyze the effects it had on their cognitive process. Our professors taught us for 4 weeks and helped prepare us for the final projects that we had to present on the last day of class. Although the classes were challenging and involved a lot of work, the things I learned from them were truly enlightening and invaluable.
Besides the amazing education I was getting from attending the program, I had such an unforgettable time bonding with the people I met there and the awesome things we got to do together. The program hosted many excursions for us to sign up for where we get to explore New York City after our classes were over. I got to see the Rockefeller Center, Time Square, One World Observatory, Chinatown, and even Les Miserables on Broadway! We also got the opportunity to job shadow every Wednesday at different companies and businesses all around NYC. I got to visit the Tumblr headquarters, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Beacon Hotel, and attend an interesting presentation from a PR company representative. Overall, I got a better understanding of what college life will be like. This program helped me become more independent and pushed me to do more things out of my comfort zone. Because of my time at Barnard, I will definitely be considering a liberal arts education while I'm applying for college this fall! I'm so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to attend this program. It wouldn't have been possible without the support of all the generous people who donated to my campaign.

As I'm wrapping up my junior year of high school and preparing for my summer program, I'm very nervous and excited about what's to come. Getting to travel to New York this summer and learn all about liberal arts education at Barnard is not something I'd imagine having the opportunity to do, but awesome organizations like Wishbone and generous people like you have made it possible. I cannot begin to explain how grateful I am to have this opportunity to travel to the other side of the country and broaden my knowledge of the world around me. Because amazing people that I've never even met before are willing to donate their hard-earned money to support me, I'm even more inspired to continue my education and stay optimistic about my future. Thanks so much for all your support! Can't wait to report back on how my summer goes!