Summer Springboard: Adilene Marie Klink

Adilene Marie Klink spent part of her summer in a Summer Springboard program at UC Berkeley.

Why did you choose to participate in a summer program?

I’ve always wanted to participate in a summer program ever since I was young, but none of them seemed right for me. I felt like it was pointless for my mother to send me away for weeks to programs with no educational value whatsoever. So when I discovered Summer Springboard, I knew this was the summer program for me. It would allow me to delve deeper into a career I have always been interested in, medicine.

How did you decide which program or camp was right for you?

I decided that I wanted to have an educational-based summer program. I wanted to learn and apply that education to my future. Through research and information from my older sister, I learned about a program called Summer Springboard. I immediately did my research because it fit my description of a perfect and educational summer program. I also attended an informational session where I learned more in depth about the program by the program directors themselves. After this, I was completely sure that Summer Springboard fit my picky description of a perfect camp.

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What was a typical day in your summer program or at camp?

A typical day included vital classes with doctors from the University of San Francisco that would create a base for further education of medicine in college. Along with these classes, Summer Springboard supplemented our learning through a program called, “The True You.”

During this program, I got the opportunity to learn more about my strengths and weaknesses and apply them to college applications, interviews and simple daily talk with my peers and elders. The following school year, I applied for my first job. During the interview, I applied my new skills from The True You and credit it for my success in getting the job.

What was the most memorable moment of your summer?

The most memorable moment of my summer was definitely the ones shared with my peers. At first, I was skeptical and didn’t think I was going to make new friends easily. But, I can honestly say that Summer Springboard was the most inclusive community I have ever been a part of.

There was no exclusion based on religion, gender, age or even language. Because there were teenagers from other parts of the country and even different continents, it would normally be assumed that there would be some exclusion based on these differences.

However, there was bonding, teamwork, and a sense of happiness present among us all. The atmosphere that Summer Springboard created made a base for new beginnings with new people. The program taught me the value of being inclusive and how much better the world can be when we all learn how to accept each other, regardless of our differences

What advice do you have for teens looking at summer programs or camps?

I advise them to look for a program that will supplement the career in which they hope to take part in as an adult. Keeping a teenager’s brain active during the summer is extremely important because they usually lose up to two months of knowledge learning during this time.

A program in which you can learn about yourself, learn about your future career, gain skills for your future, and learn about your peers from all over the world would be the best type of program to participate in. Summer Springboard fits all the criteria and goes above and beyond, which is why I highly recommend it.