8th-grade Higher Achievement scholar Ethan has his sights set on the future.
Ethan is a current Ingenuity Project student at Mt. Royal Elementary/Middle School and will continue in the program next year at his top-choice high school: Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly). “In high school, I’m looking forward to the preparation for college and then graduating to bigger things,” says Ethan. Not only has Ethan prepared for what comes next in high school, he also has a clear goal for his focus in college. “I’ve always loved building things, and I’m fascinated with science and engineering, so I’m interested in studying chemical engineering.”
Higher Achievement helps prepare scholars for high school and beyond by offering opportunities for scholars to build on their talents, set and pursue personal goals, and explore their options for the future – including visits to college campuses. Last summer, Ethan attended his first college visit to Howard University alongside his peers at Higher Achievement. During the visit, he had the opportunity to explore the campus and learn about the various majors and extracurricular activities the college offers. “I liked Howard,” says Ethan. “I thought they had a really good focus on education.” During the visit, Ethan won the Culture Point Competition for demonstrating the most Excellence, Spirit, Respect, and Collaboration throughout the trip.
In addition to college trips, Ethan has benefited from the social and academic time at Higher Achievement. “I like that you get to get the homework done that you need to do, and get to have fun,” says Ethan. Electives and community meetings have also offered times for connection and reflection. “During a community meeting this year we watched a poem performance about school systems. It connected to real-life things and made me think about how school shapes my future,” says Ethan.
As Ethan prepares to enter high school next year, his school workload and projects have increased, but Ethan has remained focused on his grades and plans for the future. “I had an amazing 7th-grade year last year and had a 4.0 GPA,” says Ethan. He credits this success in part to the great teachers at Mt. Royal. “They had high expectations of us, and I put in what they put in.” Higher Achievement continues those high expectations for scholars after the school day is over and is proud to support scholars like Ethan as they pursue their dreams for the future.