TFS Student Selected for Prestigious University of Georgia Summer Institute
TFS Student Selected for Prestigious University of Georgia Summer Institute
Rising TFS senior Delaney Johnson spent part of her summer alongside some of Georgia's highest-achieving students after being selected to attend the University of Georgia's Georgia Ready Summer Institute.
Delaney (third from left) poses with some of her new friends at UGA's Georgia Ready Summer Institue.
The week-long academic program is an invitation-only experience designed to introduce exceptional high school students to the University of Georgia's academic, research, and leadership opportunities. Eligibility is extended to students who qualify for the Georgia Certificate of Merit, and admission is highly competitive. This year, only 50 students were selected from 664 applicants.
Throughout the week, Johnson participated in a variety of academic and leadership experiences while living in Meyers Hall, the residence hall for UGA's Honors College students.
The institute began with an introduction to UGA's Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO). Participants also completed career and strengths assessments through the UGA Career Center to better understand how their interests align with future academic and professional pathways.
One of the institute's signature experiences was a three-day business and entrepreneurship workshop centered on Human-Centered Design Thinking. Working in teams, students identified a challenge facing today's college campuses, developed innovative solutions, and presented their ideas through a final group presentation that emphasized leadership, collaboration, and public speaking.
The institute concluded with a visit to UGA's Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island, where students explored marine biology research through hands-on experiences. Participants analyzed plankton samples, observed local wildlife, and learned how the university's research supports coastal conservation and environmental stewardship.
Outside the classroom, students built friendships through activities including bowling, karaoke, and a campus-wide scavenger hunt. The institute's counselors, all current UGA students representing a variety of academic majors, provided valuable insight into the day-to-day college experience.
"I really appreciated how much we got to interact with current students because it gave a more immediately relatable point of view in addition to the professional and more standardized information we were given," Johnson said. "I also walked away with 49 new friends from across Georgia and a wealth of new information about UGA and college in general."