ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program is currently accepting applications for its 2021 Summer Bridge component, and the deadline to apply is Dec. 11, 2020. Open to students across Alaska who will be graduating high school this spring, the component is set for May 31 to July 27, 2021, tentatively in person on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. 

The Summer Bridge component is a core part of ANSEP’s sequential education model, which starts as early as kindergarten. Summer Bridge is geared to support students who have just completed high school and will be transitioning to college. As part of the component, students participate in a paid, hands-on internship with one of ANSEP’s strategic partners. 

Students gain professional STEM experience, learn how to navigate the university and develop peer support systems that set them up for success upon arrival to college in the fall. The application for 2021 Summer Bridge is available here.

During summer 2020, 23 students participated in the first virtual Summer Bridge component. ANSEP was able to adapt the component to operate remotely and allow students to receive the same level of education and guidance, all while learning from home. Even though the usual in-person internships had to be put on hold, the students worked on group research projects and earned college credit. 

“We are planning for an in-person 2021 Summer Bridge component and will move forward with that plan as long as we can do so safely,” said ANSEP Founder and Vice Provost Dr. Herb Schroeder. “However, if we need to operate virtually again in 2021, we are confident we can do so in a way that provides invaluable support for Alaska’s students during such an important transitional time.”

Students can get involved with ANSEP as early as kindergarten and through middle school. For high school students, there is Acceleration Academy, available during the summer for students around Alaska and as a full-time option for students in Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Full-time Acceleration Academy students can go from eighth grade to a bachelor’s degree in five years or less at no cost to them or their families. Following high school, ANSEP provides support not only through Summer Bridge but University and Graduate Success components. 

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