Geneseo Hosted Camp College Students

SUNY Geneseo recently welcomed 150 high school students and professional mentors from across New York State for Camp College, a 3-day college-access experience for upper-level high school students. The program, which is free to participants, is coordinated by the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling (NYSACAC).

The Aug. 3–5 event brought students from as nearby as Geneseo and as far away as New York City to campus. The weekend consisted of college-prep workshops led by school counselors and college admissions staff mentors, lectures by Geneseo faculty, and a college fair with representatives from 25 public and private colleges, as well as other academic and social events.

Geneseo’s School of Education’s Crystal Simmons, an assistant professor of education, gave a lecture on using music to explore social music to interested students. Meg Reitz, assistant director of student life for educational initiatives and adjunct geology professor, offered a talk on plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes, and associate professor of English Kristen Gentry offered the Camp College students a talk about the craft of creative writing.

“As a first-generation college student, I understand the benefits a mentor can provide in a student’s life in guiding students through the college search and application process,” said Kim Harvey, Ed.D., director of admissions and host site co-coordinator. “It can be overwhelming, but the Camp College participants now have a support network to help them navigate their way through it all.”

George Anselme, senior assistant director of admissions at Geneseo, served as the host site co-coordinator for the program with Harvey. Anselme has previously served as a Camp College mentor.

This is the 19th year for the NYSACAC program, which is held at two campuses each summer. SUNY Oswego was this year’s other hosting campus. This summer marks the first year that two SUNY schools hosted Camp College.