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Pre-College Programs Testimonials

Name: Dylan Dailor

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Hometown: Rochester, NY

Program/Classes: Rochester Scholars Session A (War Room: Strategies of an American Battle Plan and Creative Music Making for Everyone)

This is your third time participating in the Pre-College Program here at University of Rochester. What were some classes that you took each year and your experiences? In my first year participating in Pre-College Programs, I was a commuter student and I thought it was pretty nice to be able to go home each day at the end of classes and still have interactions with the other students during the day. I remember taking the class called the Surprising Side of Psychology because I am interested in studying psychology in college.

In my second year in the program, I was a residential student and I had the chance to take a class called Moral Dilemmas as well as one called Science of War. This year will be my third year and I enjoy getting to meet new students each year!

I always keep coming back because I love meeting and interacting with new people each time, and I also am interested in the courses offered.

What are your hobbies? I really enjoyed the day and night hall programs that the Pre-College Counselors prepare, such as the walks to College Town, salsa dancing, trivia night with my fellow students, and the lip sync battle. I also love reading historical books and doing public speaking. I once did a TEDx Talk on Asperger’s Syndrome and Empathy and had a great experience interacting with this type of audience!

Dylan adds that if he could do the programs again, he absolutely would!


 

Name: Erykah Kangbeya

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Hometown: Ivory Coast, West Africa (currently lives in Rochester, NY)

Program/Classes: Mini Medical School

Tell me a bit about your first week in the Mini Med Program. Well, in my first week here, I had a really busy schedule because it was my first time participating in this type of summer program and I had the chance to meet health professionals and doctors and enjoy lunch with them. I had the opportunity to wear scrubs, dissect a brain, and shadow doctors. The program also allowed me to listen to surgeons and residents who came in and talk about what they do every day.

What are some of your hobbies that you do when you’re not in class? I love to socialize with friends and I also play tennis. Besides hanging out with people, I watch TED Talks and Brave New Voices, which is a poetry contest that features poets of different ages held in Washington D.C. In my downtime, I go shopping with friends!

Out of the activities and programs we planned for you, what are your favorite Rochester programs? I really enjoyed playing capture the flag in the evenings and walking to College Town with the entire group of Pre-College students. If I am on campus, I enjoy sitting in the lounge and getting the chance to meet and converse with new people.


Name: Eusebio Nieves

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Hometown: Born in Philadelphia, currently lives in Connecticut

Program/Classes: Rochester Scholars Session A (Computer Networking and Video Game Development)

What made you chose this program and these classes? For me, my high school encouraged all students to participate in a pre-college program or internship before they graduated. Through some research and looking around, I stumbled upon the Pre-College Programs at Rochester! I have always liked engineering and I really wanted a comprehensive program with a wide range of classes so I was excited to come here and be a part of this program.

Name something that you learned in class that stuck out to you: In my Video Game Development class, we learned how to make figures (such as Mario) and how to have these figures jump around all through the input of certain codes in the computers. In order to code, you have to be very specific so that the computer can perform certain actions which I think is pretty fascinating!

What do you plan to study in college? I am really interested in a bunch of things. I like writing poetry and am currently writing my own books! Robotics has always been fascinating to me as well. I am also a magician and love interacting and counseling other people, so I hope to be able to develop these skills in the future. In college, I will most likely study software, electrical, or biomedical engineering.

 


Name: Courtney Yue

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Hometown: Hong Kong

Program/Classes: 3 Week Intensive Program (The Art of a Short Film)

How has your experience been studying here? This is actually my first time studying in the US, and it is a lot different here. In Hong Kong, it is very busy and quite loud, but in Rochester, it is a much quieter and there is a lot of open space here. People that I have met in the program are also extremely friendly! My dad is also an alumnus of Rochester and he studied optics here as an undergraduate student. It was pretty cool for him to come back during the program’s orientation and see how the campus changed over the years.

What do you plan to study in college? I plan to study psychology in college because the topic seems really interesting to me! I might also pursue film. One cool thing that I got to learn in the film class was how to set up a professional scene as well as place the lights to make it more appealing to the audience. We had the opportunity to touch the set-up props, lights and learn about every aspect of the production of a film.

Name one thing that you’d like to share about yourself! I’ve had a lot of fun participating in the hall programs on campus such as movie night and exploring and absorbing the scenery around campus. I also used to play volleyball and I travel to Taiwan occasionally. I speak both Mandarin and Cantonese and would like to learn Spanish.


Name: Hassan Suhaib

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Hometown: Pakistan

Program/Classes: Rochester Scholars Session A (Unusual Phenomena of the Human Brain; What’s Up Doc? Exploring the Pre-Med Experience)

This is your first time studying abroad! Tell me more about your experiences. It is indeed my first time studying abroad and being so far away from home. I can definitely say that I have met a bunch of people from different countries and broadened my views. For example, learning about my roommate’s culture has been a very rewarding experience for me. I also don’t feel like I am far from home despite the fact that I am, because all the Pre-College Counselors have been extremely helpful and I’ve had good interactions with the other students. In terms of the location, I think that the University’s campus is very beautiful and I am glad that I had the chance to explore the surroundings.

What is one cool thing that you learned/experienced from your class or your professor? I had never dissected an animal before and in my class, I had the chance to dissect the eye of a cow. Similarly, it was the first time that I got the opportunity to see a human brain! In college, I hope to study medicine and concentrate in biology because I really enjoy learning about it and the professors that I have met at the medical center are friendly and outgoing.

What you like to do in your free time? I am really into sports such as volleyball, soccer, table tennis, and badminton. I also like to meet new people and learn about where they are from. My favorite thing about this program is that everyone is open and willing to learn about each other’s differences!

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