Date: Aug 13, 2010

Hofstra STEP Program Graduates 100 Local Students from Summer Scholars Academy; Program Offers Exposure to Careers in Science and Technology

Saturday Scholars Academy to Begin in the Fall

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … Hofstra University’s Science and Technology Entry Project (STEP) offered a Summer Scholars Academy, July 6 to 29, 2010, enrolling 100 students in grades 6-12, who have expressed interests in careers in science and technology or those that require pre-licensure. The students came from 49 schools in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens Counties

The students attended the Academy Monday through Wednesday, at the Center for Educational Access and Success located at Hofstra’s School of Education, Health and Human Services (SOEHHS). Classes offered included law, health careers, architecture, arts and technology, and forensic science. On Thursdays, the students participated in field trips that offered additional insight into the areas they were studying. The classes were taught by instructors from the surrounding school districts as well as Hofstra graduate students from the School of Law and the School of Education, Health and Human Services.

The classes offered by the Summer Scholars Academy were hands-on, offering experiences not normally available in a traditional classroom environment. For example, in the law class, created by Hofstra Professor of Legal Writing Barbara Barron, offered students an opportunity to work on an actual case, where they were presented with details from a lawsuit and asked to draw conclusions. They also participated in a mock trial to which they invited their family and other guests. 

In addition to the Summer Scholars Academy, Hofstra STEP offers a Saturday Scholars Academy during the fall and spring semesters. This program offers enrichment and review classes, as well as SAT and ACT preparation. Graduates from the 2009-2010 program include the 2010 valedictorian of Hempstead High School who is entering Harvard University this fall and the valedictorian and salutatorian of Uniondale High School, who will be students at Columbia and Harvard Universities, respectively.

Students are asked to apply for the Summer Scholars Academy in May and the Saturday Scholars Academy in the fall and spring. Selection is based on the strength of their application. Both academies are grant-funded.

For more information on the Summer Scholars Academy and the Saturday Scholars Academy and on STEP, please contact Anthony Robinson, assistant dean and executive director, for SOEHHS’s Center for Educational Access and Success, at (516) 463-5794  or anthony.robinson@hofstra.edu. Or visit www.hofstra.edu/ceas.

2010 Summer Scholars Academy

Related Link: More on Hofstra's STEP Program