Students Reflect on Elite Academic Summer Program Experience

For some, summer is a time to relax. For others, it’s a time to disconnect. And then for those like Kevin Pearson `25 and Jason Starodub `26, it’s a time to roll up your sleeves and try something new.   

This past spring, Jason was accepted to the Summer Science Program, a highly competitive 39-day research program for only 36 high school juniors (and a few truly exceptional sophomores, like Jason!) across the country. Jason and his fellow researchers were tasked with researching a near-earth asteroid’s orbit. He took math and science classes related to astrophysics, wrote code that determined the orbital elements of the asteroid and predicted its long-term fate, and was able to get hands-on experience using high-grade scientific equipment, such as a telescope.  On the other side of the country, Kevin Pearson ’25 attended MIT’s MITES Summer, a highly competitive six-week free residential STEM program on MIT’s campus for underrepresented students.

“I applied because I want to prepare for what my college life could look like,” said Pearson when we spoke with him in the spring. “MITES offers all the options in the STEM field, which is what I want to study.”

In early 2024, Kevin met with Sarah Beyreis, director of college counseling and external opportunities, to talk through his options for STEM-based summer activities, and there were a few that caught his eye. He was also accepted to a summer program at Carnegie Mellon University but ultimately selected the opportunity at MIT because “quite a few people told me the program would open many doors and change my life forever.”   

 Jason was also looking forward to trying something new and life-changing, and boy was that the case.

“Meeting new people, living in dorms, taking academic courses that you don’t normally get access to in high school, and making lifelong friends made the whole experience unique,” says Jason. “I was able to learn how to do real research, which was really important to me as I begin to consider my options for college. By having this experience, I now know that I want to continue doing research.”

Kevin’s summer program had a similar impact on him as well.

“I found a real sense of belonging with my fellow cohorts,” says Kevin. “I was able to meet people from across the country who had similar interests and backgrounds as me. We were able to relate on our common interests while also finding joy in our collective struggles.”

Kevin met challenges early in the program in his multivariable calculus class, but he worked hard, formed a study group, and won the “Most Improved Award.” The MITES program not only reaffirmed his love of math, but he left the program with much more confidence in himself.

“After MITES, I feel like I can more confidently trust my own decisions while going through my senior year,” says Kevin.

Both traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts, this past June as members of the CCDS InventTeam. The team presented its patent-pending invention, the IllumiLane, at EurekaFest. According to the LMIT website, "EurekaFest is an event that empowers student inventors, empowers role models, and encourages creativity and problem-solving." The team won the “Golden Beaver Award” for their excellence in technical achievement. While in the Boston area, the team also visited area colleges and universities, as well as historic sites.