Rappahannock High School rising senior Shaniyah Lanier participates in ‘Kitchen Chemistry’ during UMW’s Summer Enrichment Program, as Professor of Chemistry Kelli Slunt looks on. The residential program gives high-schoolers a glimpse of college life. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Holding tight to a video camera aimed at his face, high school junior Simon Young became a blur of motion earlier this month, whirling on a whimsical stool in the University of Mary Washington’s Hurley Convergence Center. The experience and its result – a panoramic portrayal of Simon’s dizzying ride on the curious chair – was part of a lesson in virtual and augmented reality.

Billed as an exploration of science fact rather than science fiction, the class was one of several – from kitchen chemistry to computational physics – available to rising 10th- through 12th-graders who took part in UMW’s weeklong Summer Enrichment Program (SEP). Packed with immersive instruction and high-impact activities, the unique residential program creates a microcosm of college, giving teens a taste of how it feels to live and learn on campus.

“I wanted a snapshot of college life,” said Zack Roland, a senior at Stafford’s Mountain View High School. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.” Read more.