Students Prepare for College and Careers Through HSSEP

Makenna Houston, a high school junior from Lafors, Texas, has always dreamed of attending Hardin-Simmons University and becoming a successful oncologist. Seeing a smart way to connect the two, Houston decided to attend the Health Science Summer Enrichment Program (HSSEP) at Hardin-Simmons this summer to further her knowledge about both interests.

“I have always been really interested in Hardin-Simmons, and this is a great way to check out my future college and learn more about oncology,” she said.

High school students from across Texas will prepare for success in college and their potential careers in the healthcare field at the third annual HSSEP summer camp on June 18-30.

The faculty of the Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics will instruct the students with college-based curriculum through interactive labs and dissections. The campers will get a taste of the college life at HSU by living in the residence halls and participating in activities around the campus during their stay.

The students will be instructed just as incoming college freshman attending Hardin-Simmons would. They will have online textbooks from Pearson Publishing for in-class discussions and homework. Students will also participate in labs, including problem-based learning activities in chemistry, physics, and microbiology, as well as dissections in anatomy and physiology.

“Through this camp, I hope students gain a sense of confidence in their ability to not just do college work, but to master it,” Dr. Candace Wicks, Assistant Professor of Biology at Hardin-Simmons said.

The students are encouraged to investigate their interests and abilities in physics, biology, and chemistry necessary to succeed in a pre-health undergraduate program. Through this experience, they can form strong relationships with their peers and the faculty of HSU. These opportunities help make the transitions into college an easy adjustment for the students.

“I want the students to get a glimpse into college life and learn lessons of time management, the importance of community with your classmates and teachers, and begin to adjust to college life before it affects their college transcripts and GPAs,” Dr. Wicks said.

While experiencing the coursework aspect of college, students also get the chance to see the opportunities offered to HSU students outside of the classroom. The students will get to participate in a variety of recreational activities around the campus.

“While I am excited to learn more about my future career and get to do actual college work, I am really looking forward to playing Capture the Flag with my friends,” Houston said.

Through the HSSEP camp, students are able to experience the complete life of a Hardin-Simmons students within a two week period and prepare for their ideal career in Health in a fun and educational environment.

“Through this camp, students experience the joy of accomplishments, discovery, and comprehensions, such as getting a suture stitch right, finding the retina in the bovine eye dissection, or connecting Gram staining to bacterial structure in microbiology labs,” Dr. Jennifer Hennigan, an Assistant Professor of Biology said.

To learn more about the camp, visit the HSU website: https://www.hsutx.edu/hssep/.