Perkins County students accepted to University of Chicago summer program

By Shari Friedel

Grant Tribune-Sentinel

Perkins County High School seniors Gavin Smith and Meredith Gloy will broaden their horizons this summer with their acceptance into the “Emerging Rural Leaders II”, a University of Chicago summer program that is offered to high achieving, rural and small town students.

The two were selected through an application process that included several essays, which they started in January.

The four-week session began Monday, June 13, and consists of daily three-hour online Zoom meetings with staff and fellow students, and additional independent work outside of the meeting.  

The program will culminate in a week-long stay at the university July 3-8, when students will meet their fellow classmates in person and attend workshops and activities offered by the university. 

All classes are free for the students, and all expenses, including plane tickets, are paid for through Trott Family Philanthropies, which supports the program.

Classes consist of students from throughout the world. Meredith and Gavin’s classes include students from several U.S. states as well as China, Japan, Brazil, Mexico and Tanzania. Gavin said that language hasn’t been a problem, since everyone is able to speak English. The biggest challenge, he said, is coordinating the different time zones. Some students have to join the class late at night.

Meredith heard of the program from Doug Jackman, a distant relative and former Grant resident who is employed at the university.

“It’s neat to see kids from Perkins County branching out, taking advantage of a big city university opportunity,” said Perkins County science teacher Deanne Bishop.

The six classes offered explore current topics in science, technology, engineering and the social sciences.

Meredith, who has an interest in science, chose “Science, Technology and the Body.” One discussion that intrigued her focused on people’s perception of robots, who have human-like features, as opposed to machines that don’t have human qualities.

Gavin, who is interested in government and politics, is taking “Freedom of Expression and Politics of Social Media.” As one of the assignments, he is to identify an issue associated with social media, propose a solution and present it at a mock senate hearing.

The students will also submit a final 3-5 page paper, using writing strategies learned in the class.

Gavin and Meredith are grateful for the opportunity, think that it is worthwhile and are excited for the upcoming trip to Chicago. They are eager to share the experience and would like to encourage other students to take advantage of the opportunity in the future.