While the most students might spend their summers doing anything from attending a camp to earning money through a job, sophomore Emily Tolbert will attend a one-week summer immersion session in New York City from Aug. 5-9 at Columbia University (CU).

Tolbert was contacted via email by the program asking whether or not she would be interested in the summer immersion camp.

“I’m pretty sure [the email] was a listing all of the camps available. There was an one week or a three week camp and then one in Barcelona,” Tolbert said, “ I picked the week long camp because it just was just more doable than the other camps.”

To be accepted into the program, Tolbert followed multiple requirements including submitting a 600 word personal essay,immunization records, official academic transcript, ACT scores and two recommendation letters: one from her counselor Jana Crittenden and one from biology teacher Jerry Epp.

“I felt happy and super proud of myself when I got in,” Tolbert said, “ I was also excited to be able to go see an Ivy League campus and all of their labs and other science resources”

During her stay, Tolbert will be studying the Cells and Molecular Biology of Medicine course within the multiple laboratories specified for different applications, along with a shared facility with the Columbia University Medical Center, that CU offers.

“[The course] just seemed like the most interesting one and it seemed like the one where I’d be able to see most of their labs and facilities,” Tolbert said.

Tolbert hopes that attending the camp will allow her to explore the various careers paths offered within the field of biology.

“We’re hoping that it will provide the access to people who can answer some of the questions I have about college, or career wise, what specific field biology I want to go into,” Tolbert said.