A Summer of Scholars

          The Lawrenceville School offers four exciting academic scholars programs that students may apply for each summer. These scholarly programs include: the Heely Scholars (Historical Research), Hutchins Science Scholars, Hutchins Social Justice Scholars and Merrill Scholars (Literary Scholarship).  

          Being selected as a scholar at Lawrenceville is more impressive than simply completing an academic course—it means weeks of a student’s summer were dedicated to research and learning more about a given topic. These programs not only give their attendees amazing experiences, but also provide an opportunity to follow a passion. 

          Heely Scholars, a group of students focusing on “experiential learning,” believe that the Stephan archives  exist to be used. Through the creation of podcasts, films, as well as exhibits, Heely Scholars produce materials that “facilitate the access and enrichment of Stephan Archives” to the community. These Scholars learn to analyze primary sources, communicate with others, and explore historical themes. Past projects have researched World War II, cultural trends of the 1960s, and the Cherokee Nation. 

          Hutchins Science Scholars is another reputable program taking place over two summers at Lawrenceville. The program allows for summer research, with opportunities in the “U.S, overseas, [and also] provides financial aid to qualifying scholars.” Students are able to facilitate scientific research on a given topic of interest, followed by working in a lab to pursue said research. The work done during the program can be continued through college and beyond, as its impact extends past Lawrenceville’s campus. 

          Hutchins Social Justice Scholars is an exceptional program offered to rising V Form students “seeking to immerse themselves in the multi-disciplinary study and practice of narrative change” This program addresses topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. One of the main questions leading the group is how the school community can share their “transformative stories” and their connection to social change. The goal of this program is to support scholarship while partaking in experiential learning about social justice. During the summer portion of this program, students study “the role of storytelling [as well as] listening as a part of social change.” 

          Merrill Scholars is a literary research and creative writing program that allows students to “conduct interdisciplinary research in the humanities” by using a variety of sources from Bunn Library’s archives. The program is known to be far more independent than many other programs offered to the community. The guidelines for this program include engaging critically with texts as well as using imagination to research a self-chosen topic. This program is all about taking risks, as its course description emphasizes the importance of “stretching yourself in both directions”. 

          Many upperclassmen have described their personal experiences within these scholars programs to be an eye opening experience. Anushka Chintameni ’23 is an alumni of the Hutchins Science Scholar program. She took her passion for her given research topic and continued her journey with it even beyond Lawrenceville. What it takes to be a scholar is a multi-answer question that takes confidence, passion, and creativity. The possibilities of these programs provide so many great opportunities to many in the future. These programs are a great way to make connections, work with new people and explore passions!