As MSMS students near the end of 2015, seniors will begin hearing from colleges and juniors will also begin receiving information about various summer opportunities meant to prepare them for college. Dr. Heath Stevens held a seminar concerning one such opportunity: the national Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America Scholars Program.

LEDA is “a non-profit organization dedicated to identifying and developing the academic and leadership potential of exceptional public high school students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.” The program provides its scholars with free trips to Ivy Leagues in the summer after their acceptance, test prep help, ongoing college guidance, college essay writing tips and more. The program is very selective as it selects only around 100 U.S. citizens or permanent residents. For juniors considering LEDA, the application deadline is Dec. 11, 2015.

Last year, two MSMS students of the class of 2016 were chosen as LEDA Scholars: Jason Necaise and Om Patel. Patel discovered LEDA through e-mails from Dr. Stevens and browsing the internet for summer programs. Patel said the application was straightforward, but the essays were difficult because “you need to make sure that you stand out, but also be you at the same time.” Patel also suggested “Start early. The application takes a lot of thought and effort even though the essays seem simple.”

Patel further shared his experiences at LEDA this past summer. The summer program, which “brings in 100 diverse individuals from all over the country who all have different stories to share,” was held at Princeton University from Jun. 20 – Aug. 8, 2015. In addition to staying at Princeton, the Scholars visited Yale, Columbia and the White House. Patel remarked, “Though LEDA is a college preparatory summer program, I learned about many people, their stories and their prospective futures.”

Any students with questions should ask their counselor, refer back to https://leda.fluidreview.com/, or search through their e-mails for the helpful links provided by Dr. Stevens. To students considering LEDA, remember the application deadline at Dec 11! Patel suggests, “if you are motivated and want to gain invaluable help in the college admission process, Grade A standardized test help, and insight on things going on in the world, apply to LEDA.”