PennRSSA
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About PennRSSA Summer Academy
The University of Pennsylvania Rising Scholar Success Academy (PennRSSA) is a free, virtual, six-week summer program designed for rising high school seniors across Philadelphia.
Originally launched in July 2020 as the Rising Senior Summer Academy, the program uses a combination of synchronous and asynchronous programming to offer high-caliber academic enrichment, college preparation, and career exploration.
This year's program dates are Tuesday, June 21 - Thursday, July 28.
Eligibility
The program is open to any student in a School District of Philadelphia, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, or Philadelphia public charter school who is on track to graduate in 2022-23.
Participation Requirements
Summer Academy students must be available from 10:00am - 2:00pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for the duration of the program.
Participants are expected to attend all live sessions (including routine check-ins with their “pod”) and submit required assignments.
Program Incentives
Students who successfully complete the PennRSSA Summer Academy will be eligible for the following:
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A WorkReady stipend of up to $1,000,
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One high school credit on their academic transcript (for School District of Philadelphia students and those enrolled in participating schools), and
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A certificate of completion from the University of Pennsylvania.
How to Apply
This year, the PennRSSA Summer Academy is an approved WorkReady worksite. Thus, prospective PennRSSA participants will need to apply via the WorkReady website.
To initiate the application, submit this brief PennRSSA Registration Form.
A maximum of 800 students will be enrolled on a first come, first served basis.
Information Session Video Recordings
About PennRSSA
Applying to PennRSSA
All PennRSSA Summer Academy participants will complete four virtual courses:
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Applied Economics and Finance, featuring financial literacy content from the Wharton Global Youth Initiative’s “Understanding Your Money” Course;
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Applying to College, adapted from the Penn Admissions/Steppingstone Scholars “How to Apply to College” course on Coursera;
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Telling Your Story, which guides students through the process of writing a personal statement for their college applications; and
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Career Pathways, a series of career exploration modules developed in collaboration with Penn’s graduate schools (Communications, Dental Medicine, Design, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Arts and Sciences, Social Policy and Practice, and Veterinary Medicine).
Core assignments include a thoughtful college list, professional resumé, and polished personal statement.
This year’s Summer Academy will also feature a Capstone Project. Working in small groups (under the supervision of a Penn graduate student), Summer Academy participants will develop a capstone project about a school or community issue of their choice.
Please direct any questions to penn-rssa@upenn.edu.
PennRSSA is also on Instagram @pennrssa. Follow us for program updates, reminders, and more!
WorkReady Summer is a 6-week summer job program for 12-24-year-olds in Philadelphia. WorkReady Summer offers 100+ different experiences through 80+ partner organizations throughout the city. This summer, the program will offer safe experiences for young people to gain valuable experience and develop critical skills. Each year, at least twice as many young people apply for the roughly 8,000 opportunities available, so applicants are encouraged to apply early and check their email often. For more information about WorkReady, visit www.workready.org.
