Our Students

Give For Tomorrow

Academically advanced learners, like all students, need to be challenged and inspired, engaged and nurtured so they can reach their fullest potential. Promising young scholars reside in every neighborhood, in every school, in every classroom in the world. But many of these bright students never have the opportunity to fully realize their academic talents. We need you to help us reach them so that through their experiences at the Center for Talented Youth they can blossom into tomorrow's thought leaders, Nobel Prize winners, scientists, and innovators. One day in the not so distant future, these students may change the world. But they can't do it without you. After all, talent means nothing without opportunity.

CTY Scholarship Brochure

Dario | CTY 2007 - 2010 | Harvard University, Class of 2015

_Dario

_{"If nobody raises your sights, how can you know what to look toward?"}

Growing up in South Central, Los Angeles, Dario Guerrero used to say he wanted to be president. He also liked to tell friends he wanted to attend Harvard.

In truth, "I wasn't even sure what Harvard was."

Dario's parents, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico and did not graduate from college, expected their son to earn a college diploma. But even though he was an excellent student at his public magnet school, Dario knew little about how to apply or get into college. At times he doubted whether he would even attend at all. "In the back of my mind I thought it was likely that I would end up working in construction like my dad. That was the pathway that I saw, the only one I could see."

CTY opened Dario's eyes to a world of possibilities and brought his dreams into focus. As a Johns Hopkins CTY Scholar, he took college-level courses in international relations, writing, and politics. As part of our summer programs, he traveled across the country to spend three weeks living on a college campus, surrounded by other bright students who challenged and engaged him, supported by instructors and advisors who guided him on his path.

With help from CTY, Dario learned how to navigate the college application process. He applied and got into many top schools, including Georgetown, Columbia and Dartmouth. When Harvard University offered him a full scholarship, he accepted.

"If nobody raises your sights, how can you know what to look toward?" asks Dario, who will graduate from Harvard in 2015. "I credit CTY for helping me realize what was possible within me."

Sarah | CTY 2005 - 2009 | Princeton University, Class of 2015

Sarah

_{“To me CTY exemplifies what learning should be.”}

Sarah Cuneo has always been fascinated by how the mind works.

But opportunities to study the brain sciences in depth simply didn’t exist in her small New Jersey high school. Through her participation in CTY Summer Programs, Sarah discovered her passion for neuroscience, a topic she is now pursuing at Princeton University.

“To me CTY exemplifies what learning should be,” says Sarah, who received financial support to attend CTY. “You’ve got a bunch of smart people who are genuinely interested in what they are learning, and are helping each other learn. CTY not only introduced me to new passions and new people, it stretched me academically.”

Brittany | CTY 2006 - 2009 | Johns Hopkins University, Class of 2015

Brittany

_{“The exposure to new subjects and the challenges and the preparation for college that CTY gave me really propelled me to where I am today.”}

So many words describe Brittany Thomas. She’s smart. She’s curious. She’s artistic and analytical. She’s engaged.

Growing up in Woodbridge, Virginia, Brittany attended gifted programs that helped encourage her many talents. But it was her experiences at CTY that focused her interests and helped her achieve her goal of attending Johns Hopkins University.

“At CTY learning isn’t attached to a performance record or a standardized test — it’s an entirely different type of learning,” says Brittany, a freshman currently studying public health and global environmental change and sustainability.

During her five years as a CTYer, Brittany studied such topics as mathematical modeling, writing, genetics, and genomics. She learned study skills and time management. And she developed close relationships with bright students from across the country. “CTY is a brilliant fusion of the academic and the social. There’s so much more to it than going to class.”

The academic and college advising and personal attention Brittany received from her instructors, advisors, and mentors helped shape her goals, decisions, and development. “CTY is very, very personal,” she says. “Everyone had a general concern for my well being and my progress as a student and as a person. I really can’t say thank you enough.”

Whenever she hears anyone mention CTY, even if it’s a total stranger, Brittany can’t help but engage that person in conversation, relating her experiences, sharing memories, offering her thanks by being a CTY “ambassador.” Her reason is simple. “CTY has a special place in my heart,” she says. “Forever.”