Speaker 1: 0:13

Welcome to the 2025 IdeaGen Future of Summit. I have Esteban Olivares with me. Summer Discovery. Thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Summer discovery. Thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it. You're happy and keeping with the theme of the future of uh. The first question will be uh, you've shaped transformative pre-college experiences for years. How do you see programs like summer discovery evolving to prepare students for the future of work, especially as innovative accelerates?

Speaker 2: 0:42

well, I think it's keeping pulse on what's happening in the world, especially what's impacting youth today. Just understanding that is, I think, foundational. Then, of course, we're working specifically in pre-college residential programs in higher ed universities. So what's happening with universities? What are their pain points, what are their goals, what are their needs? Kind of finding that intersection between both of them so that we can be a great partner. And I think the evolution comes into the future of work. What is that next job that's going to happen, and I think it's understanding that we don't really know exactly the technology and the skills are going to be needed for that next job 10, 20 years from now. But it's keeping the pulse on it. And that's interacting with industry, interacting with folks who are hiring and preparing the jobs. So bringing those all together. The intersection between the youth and what is their world, higher ed and industry.

Speaker 1: 1:38

Absolutely, and Summer Discovery emphasizes real-world learning and 21st century skills. What major shifts are you seeing in student needs or expectations that schools and employers must respond to?

Speaker 2: 1:54

Well, I think it's understanding that it's beyond the hard skills. So if you're going to be a chemist and you have to have a degree in chemistry, that's that hard skill. But it's those soft skills that are going to be important Communication, creativity, kindness. How do we teach those and how are those learned? Because if you do not know how to work on a spreadsheet that someone around the world is going to be working on at the same time I mean maybe in a different language we have tools to make that work and to make that happen. So it's having that ability to communicate and understand. How do we use technology to communicate?

Speaker 2: 2:24

How do I get creative with the tools that are given to me and the fact that I may be working a hybrid job and in the office a couple of days, but I'm working from home most of the other days? How do I get creative in that atmosphere? How do we teach students those soft skills to be creative, those soft skills to be created? And then that the kindness piece is just, is just, I think, the biggest part of it. Because whatever field I'm in, how do I instill kindness? How do I still understanding compassion, um, that my work has an impact, um, regardless of the field that I have, whether it's just working with my co-workers, or the product or the output of what we're creating has an impact on the world, and how do I tap into that kindness and compassion to be a better person?

Speaker 1: 3:08

Yes, yeah, crucial skills to the younger generation have to be willing to adapt. Yes, definitely, and you've built deep partnerships with elite universities and corporations. What makes these academic industry alliances successful in preparing diverse students for a rapidly changing future?

Speaker 2: 3:27

Well, when an organization, a university, a company, a nonprofit, an organization like Ideagen is working with Summer Discovery, the foundation is trust, because you're trusting us with your brand whether it is here's the ethos of Georgetown or here's what Ideagen stands for and we're asking Summer Discovery to work with us to figure out how do we translate this into a pre-college experience for youth. We have to have that trust and that trust is mutual. We work together, collaboration and really get creative and figure out what's the design that we are going to pull together so that these students have an amazing experience in the classroom, but also outside of the classroom, for that 24-7 experience.

Speaker 1: 4:08

Absolutely, and you've also led growth across institutions like Yale and Georgetown. What have you learned about scaling elite opportunities while keeping them inclusive and impactful?

Speaker 2: 4:21

You can't move too quickly. If you move too fast you're kind of missing the details and you really have to be methodical, you have to really plan it out and understand that we're also creating this for youth. So you have to be safe and you really have to have the structure there to make sure that, once again, 24 7, that safety, that supervision is all there with the rising concerns around youth mental health.

Speaker 1: 4:49

How does your team balance academic rigor with student well-being and personal development?

Speaker 2: 4:56

you know, in a residential program.

Speaker 2: 4:58

You really have to allow students to understand that they're seen, that they're heard, that they have agency and that you're also working with the academic part partner to figure out how do we make this relevant to the student who wants to engage in those big ideas and kind of. Those are some of the pieces of that recipe, so you could do bold things, um, but really it's making sure that the student is seen, that they're heard and that they feel safe and that they have a voice in the classroom and outside of the classroom, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 5:29

So crucial? Yes, and you personally? What are some of the best practices you've developed to manage high growth programs while also maintaining academic and operational excellence?

Speaker 2: 5:42

It's really training. It's really coming down to the idea of here's the design, here's the program, here's the policies, here's the protocols. So, whether it's a team member who you're working with throughout the year in pre-college, residential programs, we have a lot of seasonal employees as well and it's making sure that we're setting up the framework. But the scalability comes into play when you are working with Cornell, you're working with Georgetown, you're working with UCLA, and each one has its own brand and its own ethos and you have to instill those into the training for every single staff person that you have. So last year we had 15,000 students across over 20 sites, probably close to 1,000 seasonal staff people, and you have to make sure that whatever university, whichever program they're working with, they understand that partner's brand and values. Wow.

Speaker 1: 6:35

And why is early real world exposure so vital in education today, and how do you see experiential learning shaping the future of high school and college prep?

Speaker 2: 6:47

I think, as I said earlier, you have to understand the pulse of youth and I think people sometimes have a misconception of youth and they have to understand that youth want to engage in big, bold ideas. They want to be involved in understanding how can I solve a real-world problem? I don't want you to just give me a math problem. I want you to give me a problem where I can solve it, that's going to possibly impact the world. So, whether that's a hackathon or whether that's figuring out, how can you write policy for international relations or how can you participate in a mock trial or even working on a cadaver, to understand is pre-med the direction I really want to go into. It has to be important to them and um, not these ancillary activities. It has to be something that is bold, that is important so that it engages them, because maybe they're not engaged that level in the fall and spring of their academic year.

Speaker 1: 7:40

You're shaping future generations. It's crucial work, and so what excites you most about the next wave of innovation, education, and how should institutions position themselves to lead that in the future?

Speaker 2: 7:54

I really think it's understanding that in the classroom today we have the future leaders of tomorrow. So, whatever subject it is, whatever hardcore subject it is, what are those soft skills are gonna be needed to help that person be the leader that they can be? Most likely that student's probably gonna go to college and change majors once or twice. So the passion they have at 14 in a pre-college program may be very different than the passion they have freshman year and what they graduate with and what they go into the world with. But those consistent skills of communication, collaboration, creativity, kindness. If they have those soft skills, wherever they land they can be a leader. And it's these pre-college programs that can allow them to practice this leadership skills and see themselves as leaders?

Speaker 1: 8:39

And just to close, where can people find your work and learn more about Summer Discovery?

Speaker 2: 8:44

SummerDiscoverycom and you find all the information there, and we have some amazing programs, some amazing partners and amazing people who commit themselves to making sure the students have an amazing, safe experience.

Speaker 1: 8:57

That's amazing Well from IdeaGen. Thank you for the work you're doing. It's so crucial. The younger generation needs help and thank you, I appreciate it.