February 2024
High school tenth graders, listen up! As that school bell rings, signaling the start of summer break, are you anticipating weeks of fun and freedom?
How about a summer “passion”? A Passion Project is freedom and fun – you freely choose and pursue it for joy!
A Passion Project is a research or creative endeavor that takes you deeply into problems you care about and pushes you to develop skills that make you proud.
Some Passion Projects have included raising prize-winning rabbits and selling them to local chefs; devising an optimum diet for Muslim athletes who fast during Ramadan; teaching empathetic listening to teenagers who want to be better friends; sampling water quality across a large county and correlating that to neighborhood incomes.
All these projects required extensive research, networking with experts and community organizations, and creating a public, sharable work. That sharable work could be a blog documenting your experiences, a polished website about your work, a presentation to influential adults, an on-line course, or even a small business!
Think how you’ll feel at the end of your summer with your project underway or completed!
But why start this project as a rising Junior?
The summer after tenth grade may be your only time to start! Next summer, as a rising Senior, you’ll be writing college essay drafts, or even holding a job.
Summer is the best time to explore and refine your project, recruit mentors and sponsors, and explore how you’ll present your completed work. When school resumes in the fall, frankly, you’ll lose that freedom to think, connect, and create.
But your project isn’t just a summer fling! Are you considering a Senior Capstone Project? This project can be the basis of that time-consuming work. And, of course, your Passion Project will distinguish you in your college applications.
Most importantly – your Passion Project develops YOU. As you throw yourself into research and creation, you will discover your innate aptitudes, create a supporting network, and grow as a presenter of your work.
Imagine how that self-discovery will help you understand who you are and what you love to do.
In fact, we should rename the Passion Project. It’s so much more; it’s a Purpose Project! It’s an opportunity to explore your purpose – what moves your heart and excites your mind.
Your Rising Junior Summer is THE time to explore your passion, your purpose. Contact me to discuss how we can make it happen.
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