Alumni Stories
Humanities and Social Sciences Programs
Students who are interested to pursue a Humanities and Social Sciences mentorship program will work with mentors from Princeton University, Columbia University, Duke University and more. Our humanities and social sciences program students have gained admissions to Ivy League universities, received mentor’s recommendation letters and published their research papers.
To protect students’ privacy, all names have been changed.
Theo He
Residence:
Georgia, US
School:
Brunswick High School
Intended major:
Sociology
Age during program:
Grade 11
Theo is committed to helping others, and his overall interest in improving himself and the situation of others is impressive. He has participated in volunteering work and made a point to incorporate crucial observations into his social sciences programs and projects.
Through the program, he wrote a fantastic social science research paper and the mentor agreed to write him a reference letter.
His university acceptance includes Stanford University, Yale University, Princeton University
Jeffrey Sullivan
Residence: New York, United States
School: Stuyvesant High School
Intended major: Political Science
Age during program: 11th grade
Jeffrey is interested in the interdisciplinary subjects of political science, journalism and history. Some of the related extra-curricular activities he was engaged in includes: Georgetown St Dept Program as a US Youth Ambassador to Belize, Manhattan Borough Presidents Office in summer 2019 and Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a lobbyist for a Jewish political organization.
Through the program, he received guidance on ways to improve beyond the mentorship program.
His university acceptance includes University of Chicago
Calvin Tu
Residence:
Shanghai, China
School:
Shanghai American School
Intended major:
Law/Political Science
Age during program:
Rising 10th grade
Calvin is a particularly outstanding student in social studies and debate. He has done very well in tournaments in the National Speech & Debate Association, and the National HS Debate League of China. He is also an active participant in Model United Nations at his school.
Through the mentorship program, he has received a positive evaluation from his mentor.
His university acceptance includes Brown University, Cornell University and UCLA.
Alice Turner
Residence:
New Jersey
School:
Haddonfield Memorial High School
Intended major:
Film and History
Age during program:
Grade 11
Alice is a humanities-oriented student. Her main interests are Film and History. She is currently taking AP US History and she is currently writing a report on horror films for her AP Research course.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Her university acceptance includes Columbia University
Dylan Ji
Residence:
New Jersey, US
Intended major:
Civics Education
Age during program:
Grade 10
Dylan’s primary interests are civic engagement and political science. He is a dedicated young student with excellent communication skills, actively involved in advocacy efforts in New Jersey. Recently, he has testified twice on NJ congressional mapping. Additionally, Dylan serves as the treasurer of his student council and is a leader in his school's Model UN, Model Congress, and TEDx organizations.
The mentor would be able to write a recommendation letter for the student’s college application
Her university acceptance includes University of Chicago.
Nathan Bailey
Residence:
California, US
School:
Miramonte High School
Intended major:
Latin American Studies
Age during program: Grade 12
Nathan has completed courses on Law & Society and has studied public policy issues in Peru and the Dominican Republic. He is also an active competitor in speech and debate events, frequently addressing policy-based issues and arguments. Beyond academics, Nathan is a campus leader and a talented lacrosse and football player.
Through the program, he completed a research paper and received a high evaluation from his mentor.
His university acceptance includes The University of Texas at Austin
Valerie Chu
Residence:
Shanghai, China
School:
YK Pao
Intended major:
Sociology
Age during program:
Grade 11
Valerie became interested in Human Rights Studies and Politics after participating in a Columbia Human Rights Course. Besides completing a high-quality research paper, Valerie’s other goal is to deep-dive into political theories because her school does not provide Global Politics in the IB curriculum.
Her mentor initiated to write a recommendation letter for her.
Her university acceptance includes Barnard College of Columbia University
Cohen Kowalski
Residence: Pennsylvania, US
School: Radnor High School
Intended major: Psychology and Sociology
Age during program: 11th grade
Cohen is in the top 2% of his class (4.05 GPA, 1580 SAT). To gain more exposure in his field of interest, he took a Neuroeconomics course at Brown University last summer. For this mentorship program, he is especially interested in researching the intersection between mental health and eating disorders.
Through the program, he completed a research paper and received a high evaluation from his mentor.
His university acceptance includes University of Pennsylvania
Abhas Challa
Residence:
Mumbai, India
School:
Jamnabai Narsee International School
Intended major:
Public Affairs
Age during program:
Grade 12
With a passion in public policy, Abhas has written a research paper exploring interstate migration in India and won the ISSN Best Researcher Award and was published on the International Journal of Advance Research. In the summer of 2019, he attended Stanford Pre-Collegiate Program and developed a research paper on the ethical choices that prevented the Cuban Missile Crisis from escalating.
Through the program, he has received a positive evaluation and got his research paper published on Curieux (youth-led) Academic Journal.
His university acceptance includes University of Pennsylvania
Bethan Chin
Residence: Illinois, US
School: UIUC
Intended major: Sociology
Age during program: Freshman student
Bethan was interested in developing her skills and knowledge in social sciences - psychology, social psychology, cultural-psychology, sociology and marketing. She had experience with three very different schools systems and had spent time in several countries. This background inspired her interest in completing a social sciences program, specifically a project that explored cultural differences.
Her university acceptance includes Barnard College of Columbia University
Josephine Chai
Residence:
Hefei, China
Intended major:
Art History
Age during program:
Grade 11
Josephine’s main academic passion is Art History. She hopes to one day work as a curator in a museum or in some sort of arts management career. In addition to her school studies, Julia is also currently studying for the SAT.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Her university acceptance includes New York University.
Atharva Sengupta
Residence:
New Jersey, US
School:
Ridge High School
Intended major:
Social sciences
Age during program:
Grade 11
Atharva’s primary academic interests are Sociology, Philosophy and Political Theory. He took a course at Brown last summer on Race, Justice and American Democracy and is also a member of his school's Ethics Club. Outside of academia, Atharva enjoys sports.
Through the mentorship program, he wrote a high-quality research paper and published it on the Curieux Academic Journal.
His university acceptance includes Cornell University.
Ivy Li
Residence:
Taipei
School:
Putai High School
Intended major:
Medical Science
Age during program:
Grade 12
Ivy is an aspiring medical professional. She has experience in medical volunteering where she observes attending doctors and provides assistance. She has participated in a few Medicine Summer Course/Camp that involve in medicine science.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Her university acceptance includes King's College London.
Felicia Qin
Residence:
Shanghai
School:
Shanghai Foreign Language School
Intended major:
Social sciences
Age during program:
Grade 12
Prior to the start of the mentorship program, Felicia already has a clear goal and research question in mind. She is extremely interested in technology and science. She enjoys examining society and the relationships between individuals, groups, and institutions.
Through her social sciences program, she has received a positive evaluation and letters of recommendation from the professor.
Her university acceptance includes Georgetown University.
Stella Du
Residence:
Virginia, US
School:
Foxcroft School
Intended major:
Psychology
Age during program:
Grade 11
Stella has strong passion in psychology and would like to work on a research paper with a professional but this wasn’t provided by her school. She is currently doing AP Psychology course in school and did hospital shadowing work in Beijing.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Her university acceptance includes Georgetown University.
Penny Hong
Residence:
Brighton, England
Intended major:
Philosophy
Age during program:
Grade 11
Penny’s primary academic interests are human rights and public policy. She is currently doing a documentary project on queer experiences in China. She runs a Seattle and Beijing-based nonprofit which focuses on wildlife conservation. She's also the president of her school's philosophy club and debate club. She takes Religious Studies, Philosophy and Ethics, and English Literature courses in school.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Her university acceptance includes Columbia University.
Sonia Mai
Residence:
Newport Coast, California
School:
Sage Hill School
Intended major:
Art History
Age during program:
Rising 12th grader
Sonia is at the top of her class with a 4.03 GPA. Her main academic passion is Art History. She has taken art history courses and done independent study in modern and ancient art history. She is the president of her school's art and design club, and is also a designer/contributor to a student magazine.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Her university acceptance includes Case Western Reserve University + Scholarship and Northeastern University.
Daina Jatkonis
Residence:
Lithuania
Intended major:
Public Policy
Age during program:
Grade 11
She is currently studying in the International Baccalaureate program. She works with the Red Cross association to explore issues faced by Lithuanian migrants, specifically the lack of accessible and affordable housing.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Hector Huang
Residence:
Shenzhen, China
School:
Houde Academy
Intended major:
Politics, Economics
Age during program:
Grade 10
Hector is an inquisitive student who is interested in a social sciences program, specifically in politics, economics, or sociology. He thoroughly enjoyed an Anthropology module at school last year and this motivated him to sign up for a course in Comparative Government.
Through the program, he has received a positive evaluation and the mentor has agreed to write him a recommendation letter.
Marcus Meyer
Residence:
California, US
School:
St. Ignatius High School
Intended major:
Robotics
Age during program:
Grade 11
Marcus’ primary academic interests are mechanical and aerospace engineering. He is a member of his school's robotics club, and he has taken courses in physics (honors level) and computer science. He has also written several high quality reports for social sciences courses.
Through the program, he has received a positive evaluation.
Brianna Gao
Residence:
Shanghai, China
School:
Shanghai Weiyu International
Intended major:
Psychology
Age during program:
Grade 11
Brianna’s favorite subjects in school are Geography, Economics, Music and Dance. She is ranked top 30% in class and aspires to enter either NYU, UCLA, USC, University of Rochester or Tufts University. Her aim in applying for the mentorship program is to explore her interest in a social sciences program and see if it is a good fit for her.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Anne Porter
Residence:
New York
School:
Avenues: The World School
Intended major:
Psychology and Public Policy
Age during program:
Grade 12
Anne’s academic interests are interdisciplinary and experiential as she hopes to continue immersion in different cultures, learning about various economic and government systems. Prior to this mentorship program, she has created a start-up with her classmate on mental health awareness and personal development. She is interested in a social sciences program to improve her overall portfolio.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Hailey Nash
Residence:
Pennsylvania, US
School:
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
Intended major:
Sociology
Age during program:
Grade 10
Hailey’s primary academic interests are psychology, philosophy and sociology. She is in the top of her class with a 3.96GPA. Hailey has studied topics such as intersectional feminism and ethics of current world events in her independent studies for the past two years.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor. She has also met her mentor in person.
Ava Kang
Residence:
Georgia, United States
School:
The Lovett School
Intended major:
Art History
Age during program:
Grade 11
Ava is passionate in Art History and will be taking her first Art History class in school next year. Her aim in this mentorship program is to know more about Art History that is align to her area of interests and to prepare herself for future classes. During her free time, she enjoys playing golf.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Audrey Chin
Residence:
Shanghai
School:
Shanghai American School
Intended major:
Psychology
Age during program:
Grade 11
Accustomed to remote learning, Audrey has also done an online Independent Study course in Psychology through BYU in the US. She is passionate about psychology subject but needed help in learning statistical analyses to build a credible research paper.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Saketha Gambhir
Residence:
Madhya Pradesh, India
School:
Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya
Intended major:
Psychology
Age during program:
Grade 11
Saketha has a curious mind in the realm of psychology. She asks lots of questions related to topics she is interested in and finally focused on “How does seeking happiness make people unhappy?”.
Through the program, she has received a positive evaluation and her mentor will be happy to write recommendation letters for her.
Charlie Salisbury
Residence:
New York
School:
Collegiate School
Intended major:
Political Science or Philosphy
Age during program:
Grade 11
Charlie enjoys American history and politics. He has been taking Latin classes since 8th grade in school and he would like to get started on a research about early American political system. He would like to major in either Political Science or Philosophy with a minor in Classics in the future.
Through the program, he has received a positive evaluation and letter of recommendation from the professor.
Apply for a Humanities and Social Sciences Program
If you are interested in a Collegiate Mentorship Program, then contact us or signup to start the journey towards your successful future!