UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Twelve rising high school seniors from Cambria and Somerset Counties will be chosen from a pool of applicants to be a part of the Readiness Institute at Penn State Summer Discovery. The program will continue in 2025 in part because of a $40,000 grant provided by the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies.
“The mission of the foundation is to empower people to make an impact on the region,” said Angie Berzonski, executive director for the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. “Providing this funding through our Community Initiatives Grant round allows our donors to make a significant impression on the lives of local students, who will receive the knowledge and training they need to become the future leaders of our region. We believe programs such as Summer Discovery are vital to the growth and success of our region by supporting youth academically, socially and in the development of important life skills to better prepare them for the future.”
Nakia Curtiss Jr. was part of the Central Pennsylvania cohort in 2024 and said Summer Discovery delivered much more than he expected.
“You don’t just sit in a classroom for hours; you travel to a lot of different places. The activities opened a lot of career opportunities for me,” Curtiss said. “I learned that I am open to a lot more things and discovered a lot of new people and places.”
Summer Discovery is a five-week paid experience for rising high school seniors. Since its inception in 2021, nearly 225 students from several Pennsylvania counties including Allegheny, Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Somerset have participated in the program, establishing relationships and learning skills to address real-world problems through workshops and field trips to area businesses and nonprofits. While enrolled, the students develop a personalized road map for future success and then have continual access to additional support after program completion including mentorship, learning experiences, workshops and opportunities through the Summer Discovery Alumni Network.
Justin Aglio, associate vice president for Penn State Outreach and executive director for the Readiness Institute at Penn State, said support for readiness programs helps to prepare students to meet any challenge.
“The Readiness Institute Summer Discovery empowers learners across the Commonwealth to discover their personal, public and professional pathways during their transformational and transitional stages of life, as well as drives career and economic growth by equipping students with the skills, knowledge and adaptability needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world,” Aglio said. “We are thankful for the gracious support from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies as it will allow this program to grow and continue to reach students in Central Pennsylvania.”
“Receiving funding through the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies to support the Readiness Institute Summer Discovery in Central Pennsylvania is extremely beneficial for our region,” said Janel Vancas, director of Curriculum Innovation for the Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8. “The experience that this program offers to our rising high school seniors has proven to be quite impactful. They not only learn to become more future ready but even more so community ready, which aligns very well with the mission of the foundation!”
Emma Hance, senior program manager for the Readiness Institute, said the funding helps to solidify the existence of the program and its work to serve students in the area.
“Thanks to the foundation's support, we're excited to be able to add junior instructors to our cohorts this year! The role was created with local college students in mind and will enrich the experience of our learners and instructors,” Hance said. “As a junior instructor, college students will gain real-world experience working with high schoolers, as well as an understanding of the wealth of opportunities that exist in their region.”
Registration for 2025 Summer Discovery is open until March 31. The program will run from June 23 to July 24.
The Readiness Institute is a service of Penn State Outreach.