Back of student in cold-weather gear in front of snowy scenery

A Year in SUMMIT

Highlights from 2021-2022

As we entered the school year in August 2021, it was with high hopes that students would be able to return to the full SUMMIT experience that makes Agnes Scott unique. While adjustments had to be made and flexibility remains the name of the game, students at Agnes Scott this year took full advantage of the SUMMIT experience.

 

While it’s hard to distill SUMMIT down into a timeline of events, as it touches every part of the curricular and co-curricular experience at Agnes Scott, here are just a few highlights from the past year:

 

Legacy (August and January):

Legacy, an immersive leadership development sequence, kicked off the year for incoming students immediately after they completed orientation in August. It was led by the Gay Johnson McDougall Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion and focused on inclusive leadership and building competencies toward socially responsible allyship. The January portion began with a series of workshops hosted by the Office of Internships and Career Development, and it focused on understanding who you are as a leader and how that can clarify your personal and professional goals.

 

LDR 101: Leadership Prologue (Fall Semester):

LDR 101 seminars focus on a variety of topics to discuss how the liberal arts inform good leadership and are taken by all first-year students at Agnes Scott. In Fall 2021, the seminar topics included:

  • From Handbills to Hashtags: A Global History of Student Activism
  • Ethical vs. Lawful Leadership in STEM
  • Leadership as Influence
  • Race, Gender and Social Change: Case Studies of Women’s Leadership in US History
  • Leadership and Social Justice in the New South
  • Leadership at the Nexus of Nature and Public Health
  • Fashion Matters: Intro to Leadership in the Global Fashion Industry
  • Cryptology and Cryptography: The Making and Breaking of Secret Codes
  • 21st Century History
  • Social Business
  • Religion and Economic Justice
  • The Women of Wakanda: An Exploration of Women’s Leadership in Film
  • Media, Communication, and the Shape of our World

(Want a sneak peek of next year? Check out the Fall 2022 LDR 101 seminar topics here.)

 

GBL 102 and Global Journeys (Spring Semester):

After two long years of waiting, Agnes Scott students were once again able to take part in in-person Global Journeys experiences. After taking part in a semester course focused on globalization, identity, culture, imperialism and the ethics of travel (GBL 102) in the spring semester, from March 4-13 students traveled to locations across the globe, focusing on topics such as :

  • (Post) Colonial Legacies in Martinique
  • Art and Influence in the Navajo Nation (U.S.)
  • Cross-Cultural Mediterranean in Marseille, France
  • Cultural Identity Before & After Colonization in Belize
  • Decolonizing Conservation in Alaska (U.S.)
  • Fashion, Ethics and Capitalism in Paris, France
  • Hidden Capital and Resources of a Port City in Marseille, France
  • Identity, Globalization and Social Change in Bulgaria
  • Marronage, Freedom & Resistance in Jamaica
  • Mesoamerican Maritime Culture in a Global Context in Belize
  • Music, Arts and Community in the Sea Islands (U.S.)
  • Social Memory and the Politics of the Past in New Orleans (U.S.)
  • The Art of Politics and the Politics of Art in Tuscany, Italy
  • Women and Inclusive Leadership in the Gullah Geechee Culture in the Sea Islands (U.S.)

Global Journeys experiences are key for many students; here’s what they had to say about their experiences this year:

Back of student in cold-weather gear in front of snowy scenery
Photo taken during Global Journeys: Alaska

 

“Overall, my immersion experience made me realize that my day to day experiences in America are not the standard. Instead, they are a small glimpse into the varied lifestyles of people all over the world. This realization will definitely encourage me to think differently and challenge any notions of ethnocentrism that arise within me.” – Bulgaria

Above shot of students forming a heart
Photo taken during Global Journeys: Marseille

 

“Going on this trip as a student, on a mission to learn more about the history and culture of an area has inspired me to think differently as a traveler. I believe I am more aware of my impact on the world, and other countries after my experiences on this Journeys trip.” – Martinique

Group shot of students in Tuscany with sunset in background
Photo taken during Global Journeys: Tuscany

 

“The Journey’s experience was truly transformative for the rest of my time at Agnes. It has changed my perspective on culture, identity, personal behaviors, and ethical traveling. My favorite part of the trip was interacting with the local people and feeling a sense of belonging in a new place.” – Marseilles

While next year’s locations have not yet been announced, as soon as they are they will be posted here.

 

SCALE (Spring Semester):

The Sophomore Class Atlanta Leadership Experience (SCALE) allows all of our sophomores to form teams and work with a community partner for a weeklong externship focused on leadership skills and career readiness.

In March of this year, sophomores completed projects and externships at organizations across Atlanta, including:

  • AT&T
  • Atlanta Botanical Garden
  • Atlanta Legal Aid
  • Atlanta Women’s Foundation
  • BlackRock
  • Campus Community Partnership Foundation
  • Centers for Disease Control
  • Enterprise
  • The Friends School of Atlanta
  • Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Operation Hope
  • The Southern Company
  • Synchronicity Theatre
  • Tapestri
  • Task Force on Global Health
  • Turknett Leadership
  • UPS
  • Zoo Atlanta

 

Applied Career Experience (Spring Semester):

Applied Career Experiences (ACE) are offered to juniors and seniors in the spring semester. These are in-depth opportunities to learn a skill that will be useful for their future career paths. This year, those experiences included:

  • Persuasive Images: The Visual Language of Graphic Design (using Photoshop and InDesign)
  • Data Storytelling: Strategies & Tools for Effectively Communicating Information (using Tableau)
  • Critical Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning (educational tools)
  • Distinguishing Disinformation from Information in the Age of Wikipedia (research tools) 

 

This post is but a sampling of SUMMIT experiences from the past year. From events to lectures to student activities, SUMMIT is a true mainstay of the Agnes Scott experience. To learn more about SUMMIT, we encourage you to join us for a campus visit to hear from admission counselors and current students about their own experiences. Join us to reach your own personal SUMMIT!

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