Green Valley Project Spotlight: Summer Frazier’s UCLA Bound!
Former Green Valley Project student, Summer Frazier, was accepted and has committed to UCLA this coming Fall!
For her admissions essay, Summer decided to write about her time in the Green Valley Project, and what she gained from the program!
We decided to celebrate Summer’s accomplishments by interviewing her and spotlighting her!
Learn more about Summer and her journey from GVP to UCLA below! Congratulations Summer!
INTERVIEW WITH SUMMER FRAZIER
Interviewer: Alessandra
Interviewee: Summer
A: Tell me a bit about yourself:
S: Hi, my name is Summer! I am 17 years old, and I am currently a senior at Nordhoff High School. I will be attending UCLA in the Fall! I am interested in pursuing a career in both creative writing and environmental studies. I would love to work with an environmental organization as an environmental journalist! As for my hobbies, I love to go camping, hiking, go to the beach, play volleyball and the guitar!
A: What program did you join in Green Valley Project (GVP)? Why?
S: I started out by joining the Communications Internship because I wanted to combine writing and publicity with my care for the environment. I loved it so much that I then continued to do that Internship as well as joining the Youth Council the following year.
A: What did you enjoy most about the Green Valley Project?
S: I deeply enjoyed the opportunities to work in the field and get my hands dirty. I loved learning about native and invasive species, and making positive change in our local ecosystem.
A: How many colleges did you apply to? How many did you get accepted into?
S: I applied to 8 colleges: 5 UC schools and 3 Cal State schools. I waitlisted at 3 and accepted into 5!
A: Was UCLA your first choice? How did it feel when you got the acceptance letter?
S: UCLA has been my dream school since I was in middle school, and the goal of getting accepted fueled lots of my hard work in high school. Getting my acceptance letter was an absolute dream and a day I’ll never forget. My parents both screamed, and my mom and I both started crying! I waited to accept my admission offer until I heard from UC Berkeley a few weeks later. I got accepted there as well, and had some weighing options to do, but ultimately was excited to accept UCLA!
A: What do you think helped you get into UCLA?
S: I think that a range of extracurricular activities I was involved in helped me get into UCLA. I think being able to balance high level sports, academics, school clubs, internships, leadership camps, and community service plays a large part in standing out as a candidate.
A: Why did you decide to write about the GVP for your admissions essay?
S: I decided to write about the Green Valley Project for my college admissions essay because the prompt asked me to talk about times I’ve given back to my community. This resonated with me and my experiences with the Green Valley Project. GVP not only gave me the opportunity to give back to Ojai’s environment, but also provided me the space to grow as a young leader, activist, and artist.
A: Do you think GVP aided in your acceptance to UCLA?
S: I do believe that GVP aided in my acceptance into UCLA. One of the main ways the Green Valley Project aided in my acceptance is through the admissions essay I wrote about my experiences in GVP. Within that essay, I was not only able to explain the gratitude for such opportunities to be of service to my community, but was also able to go into detail about the specific projects I helped work on for the years. I wrote about the:
- Save the Pollinators project
-My experiences designing a mural for the Santa Paula Agricultural Museum
-The MESA Garden project
-The fulfillment of creating a sensory garden
-Learning to design and illustrate an educational children’s book
-Middle Steward Creek restoration project
A: What skill or skills did you gain the most from GVP? How have you applied these skills to get you where you are today?
S: Working with the Green Valley Project helped to educate me about native plants, and the history of our watershed. I learned a lot about being able to recognize native plants within nature. The most significant skill I take with my from my time at GVP would be to have a confident voice as a leader and an activist.
A: What advice would you have to other students to help them get into their dream schools?
S: I think the most important part of a college application is the admissions essay. I would recommend choosing prompts that you are passionate about so that your personal voice comes through your writing. Also having a wide range of extracurricular activities where you are expressing leadership is key!
A: Any last thoughts or words of advice?
S: I am so excited for next year, and will forever be grateful for my time spent with the Green Valley Project!
