College Summit is a nationwide educational program offered to students at select high schools the summer before their senior year. All schools in Kanawha County have it, as do all Putnam County schools except Hurricane. No schools in Boone County offer the program.

College Summit teaches students how to apply for college, how to look for colleges that are right for them and how to find and receive financial aid, scholarships and loans. It also teaches confidence and self-advocacy. While there, students write their personal statements, which can be used with college applications.

As a senior at Herbert Hoover this year, I attended College Summit at Glenville State College over the summer. I can tell you College Summit does all these things and more.

On the first day, the alumni and staff said, "Give us four days; we'll give you four years." What they didn't tell us was that in those four days, our lives would be changed forever.

Sure, we would have all the knowledge we needed to get into any college of our choice, but we would also leave with a better understanding of who we are as people and of the world around us.

What helped us achieve that were the rap sessions, which, for me, were the highlight of College Summit. They were safe zones where we could talk meaningfully and share about our lives.

You may be thinking, "You were rapping at College Summit? No way!" But it wasn't like that; there were no beats, just a huge circle of students, alumni and staff.

At the first rap session, the leaders asked us what our biggest accomplishment was. The answers varied from winning a contest to overcoming abuse. After that night, we all had a better understanding of each other and ourselves.

When someone spoke, he or she had to stand in front of the circle, and the others clapped afterward. Many of us cried, including myself.

That first rap session was when we began to truly understand ourselves. Being able to admit something hard has happened and that you've made it, then seeing a room full of people clapping and supporting you makes you evaluate yourself in a way you never have before.

The two following sessions had just as much impact.

Coming to College Summit, we had expected to learn about college and how to plan for it, which we did. But we also gained knowledge about ourselves and others, which we weren't expecting at all. By the end of the four days, we had changed as individuals and created a new family that will remain in our thoughts and hearts for the rest of our lives.

The College Summit experience is a great one. Juniors, if your school offers it, I encourage you to look into it and participate this coming summer.