July 27, 2023

Path to College Connects University and NYC

Montclair State University pre-college summer enrichment programs allow high school students to explore careers, passions and interests in the city and on campus

Posted in: Communication and Media, Homepage News, Humanities and Social Sciences, University

Five people walk on over the striped lines of a NYC crosswalk. — Professor and History Department Chair Jeff Strickland, far left, leads students as they cross the streets of New York City to learn about the city’s art, architecture and history.

Tori Mcklaine still has her senior year of high school in South Jersey. But when she joins the Class of 2028 at Montclair State University, where Mcklaine has already committed to play Red Hawks soccer, she has a game plan to beat the freshman jitters.

“No matter how scary the experience may seem, the people surrounding you can make a difference,” Mcklaine says.

Pursuing their passions and career paths in film and TV production, social media marketing, business innovation, Python and robotics, and art and architecture, nearly 100 high school students came to Montclair in July for new one-week Pre-College Summer Programs.

Classes taught by Montclair faculty were complemented by access to the corporate and cultural resources of New York City. It was the best of both worlds as students experienced what it’s like to live and learn on campus and how the University is connected to the vibrant metropolitan region. NYC field trips included Google headquarters, creative agencies and the hit musical Hamilton.

Student holds a playbill from the musical Hamilton near the stage door on a crowded New York City street. — Stella Haupt-Lucas – holding her autographed playbill – proves she was indeed in the room where it happened.

The students also got a taste of college life, with “many students forming strong bonds and friendships that will last a long time,” says Coordinator of Strategic Communications Keith Green.

“Going into the pre-college program, I was definitely anxious,” Mcklaine says. “But when I got here, we were all ready to learn and just excited to learn. That helped me feel more comfortable in the environment. Even outside of the classroom, we wanted to hang out, we all wanted to be together, and that had a big effect on how I worked in the classroom.”

The program also opened the students’ eyes to a variety of career paths. Mcklaine envisioned majoring in Journalism when she starts college a year from now. “But being part of the social media group introduced us to public relations, influencer marketing and working with agencies.” As she plans to study in Montclair’s School of Communication and Media, she has come to realize “there are so many intricacies within one field and there are so many ways to find the perfect fit for you.”

A student holds a microphone while interviewing the college president. — Tori Mcklaine interviews University President Jonathan Koppell about the new Pre-College Summer Programs. “I had 100% confidence that if we invited high school students to come and sample what we had to offer at Montclair that it would not be hard for us to attract very bright, engaged students. I have no doubt that this is going to grow in the years ahead,” Koppell told her.

The 2023 Pre-College Summer Programs included:

Intelligent Systems: Python and Robotics: Aspiring engineers learned to program in Python and designed and built their own robot systems, their efforts spotlighted in a robotics demonstration and competition.

Film and Television Production: Aspiring storytellers scripted, shot, edited and starred in their own narrative films, gaining hands-on training across the production process.

Business Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Working in teams, students redesigned public spaces for the town of Montclair using 3D printers in the University’s innovation research MIX Lab.

Social Media Success: Influencing, Marketing, and Creative Strategy: For the socially savvy, the program saw students creating content, working with influencers, and understanding and analyzing social media data.

Summertime in the Big Apple: Exciting Excursions in New York City: With New York City just 12 miles away, students commuted daily to the city to produce digital photographic essays about their experiences in art, food and culture.

Group of nine students and a professor stand on a circular map of earth. — History Professor Jeff Strickland (in royal blue) brings students to the outdoor memorial of the African Burial Ground National Monument.

Three other programs allowed for longer experiences at Montclair, including:

Pre-Law Summer Academy: Students worked in teams preparing a case in an environmental law contamination suit while learning about issues that impact Native American and Indigenous people in New Jersey and across the globe. The program was sponsored by Montclair’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Rutgers Law School and Seton Hall Law School.

Italian Immersion Summer Program: An immersive experience in Italian language and culture that allowed students to earn college credits.

Model United Nations Summer Academy: Students learned to solve real-world problems from a former U.N. diplomat and also earned college credits.

Four students hold flags of different countries while sitting at a curved table. — High school students participated in Model U.N. to gain skills in writing, negotiating, public speaking and debating – and solve real-world problems under the instruction of Alfredo Toro Carnevali, a former United Nations diplomat.

“I would encourage you all, while you’re here, to poke your heads into different buildings and see what’s going on and get a sense of what happens at a university,” Montclair State University President Jonathan Koppel told the high school students. “It’s a little quiet in the summer, but you can get a flavor for it.”

Photo Gallery

Teens and a professor wait on the platform at the train station. — High school students in the University’s Pre-College Summer Program wait on the platform for the morning train to New York City. Montclair’s location provides opportunities for students to explore the city and tap into the cultural and corporate resources of the Big Apple.

Two students, one in red and the other in blue, look up at NYC skyscrapers. — Alexander Lin and Demir Oztekin take in the city’s soaring architecture.

A group of students walk on a NYC street. — Briella Terkildsen walks with students to a matinee performance of Hamilton.

Two students look at a lighted museum exhibit. — Charley Harrison and Isabella Moscharis look at an exhibit at the African Burial Ground National Monument.

A student looks at another student who is gesturing while speaking. — Jade Ortega, right, shares how quickly students bonded in their collaborations in Film and Television Production.

Students gather around a man who is talking and pointing, with people working at their desks in the background. — Brad Thatcher, president and CEO of Thatcher + Co., takes students on a tour of the public relations agency located in Times Square.

A closeup of a cell phone shows the video of a student interviewing a man. — Smartphone video captures an interview with Provost Junius Gonzales.

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren. Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters.

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