“My kids have always talked about going to college,” she said. “It gave [Olson’s daughter] the opportunity to experience it in real life, on an actual college campus right here in our community.”
Collin College held its first College for Kids summer camp in 2024. The youth enrichment program invited kids entering grades 6-8 to participate in project-based inquiry and exploration courses, discover new talents, make new friends, and develop the knowledge and skills to begin thinking and planning for college success. The camp was offered at the Wylie and Plano campuses.
The half-day program gave kids a glimpse of college life – they were able to curate their schedules to fit their interests and could choose from a wide variety of courses such as traditional animation, art, theatre, DNA exploration, and American Sign Language.
“My favorite was animal anatomy,” Wylie camper Ricky Nebinger Jr. said. “We studied lungs, hearts, and diseases of animals. There were some live horses that we studied, and we drew all the organs and parts of the horse.”
Parents were encouraged to participate as well. Every morning, they could sit in on the College 101 session, which provided general information about the college including degrees and certifications offered, dual credit, paying for college, and career opportunities.
“That to me separates this from other summer camps because it not only prepares the students but also their families and their parents for college and careers,” said Dr. Gwendolyn Weatherford, camp director for the Wylie Campus.
At the end of the two-week camp, campers celebrated with
a graduation ceremony at their respective campus. Ricky said speaking at the ceremony
was his favorite camp moment. In his speech, he reflected on the friends he made, all the things he learned, and he credited College for Kids
with sparking his interest in attending Collin someday.
Ricky said he is looking forward to returning next summer. Olson plans to re-enroll her daughter, and she wants to enroll her son when he is old enough.
“We looked at a lot of options for summer camp, but Collin’s College for Kids provided a fun, hands-on learning environment that kept my kid engaged,” Olson said.
College for Kids is one of many summer camps offered at Collin College. Visit www.collin.edu/community/summercamps to see this year’s full list.