Ascend: A UNG Summer Honors Experience

Ascend: A UNG Summer Honors Experience Twelve-day summer program focused on leadership and academics for rising high high-school seniors.

Every summer, North Georgia invites talented, rising high school seniors to attend the Summer Honors Program to participate in leadership building activities such as high and low ropes courses at Pine Valley, climbing Mount Yonah, and competing in Camp Olympics. Students spend mornings in academic courses across a variety of disciplines and most afternoons working on leadership skills!

Beautiful morning here at UNG with these amazing students!
06/03/2026

Beautiful morning here at UNG with these amazing students!

Our students testing foods for GMOs this morning with our UNG Honors Program Director and Biology Professor Dr. Meg Smit...
06/02/2026

Our students testing foods for GMOs this morning with our UNG Honors Program Director and Biology Professor Dr. Meg Smith! We can’t wait for round two tomorrow!

And, we're off! We loved meeting all our campers and families today! We had a great first night getting settled in our d...
06/01/2026

And, we're off! We loved meeting all our campers and families today! We had a great first night getting settled in our dorm, eating in the UNG Dining Hall, and kicking off the program with some games! Thankfully, the rain held off for our campus scavenger hunt (pictured here)! We look forward to what tomorrow holds for us all!

Counselor Introductions 2026!I’m Aaron Sinn. I am a math major, I tutor math, and generally take any opportunity to do m...
05/31/2026

Counselor Introductions 2026!
I’m Aaron Sinn. I am a math major, I tutor math, and generally take any opportunity to do more math. I enjoy roasting and making coffee, cooking new foods, learning how to fix things around my house, and losing intramural volleyball and basketball. (I probably would also enjoy winning I just wouldn’t know.) This is my second year as a counselor at Summer Honors, and I’m super excited be back to Pine Valley and Mount Yonah!

Lead Counselor Introduction 2026:Hello Everyone, My name is Michael Coate and I spent one year of my undergrad at the Un...
05/30/2026

Lead Counselor Introduction 2026:
Hello Everyone, My name is Michael Coate and I spent one year of my undergrad at the University of North Georgia — first two years at Boise State University— where I switched my major from business to psychology and began to counsel at ASCEND: Summer Honors. After this year I moved to Washington State and graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in psychology. This is my third summer at ASCEND and two summers of debriefs and group challenges established my passion for relationship-oriented growth.

I’m honored to serve as the ASCEND: A UNG Summer Honors Experience 2026 Lead Counselor.

From ages six to seventeen I trained on a competitive swim team six days a week. The physical and mental stamina required to maintain my practice performance taught me the difference between process-oriented joy and outcome-oriented disappointment.

My lifelong commitment to process-oriented joy was established as a ten year old, when I swam three miles across the San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz to San Francisco.

During my year of study at UNG, I spent summers in Flowery Branch coaching a 120-member recreational swim team. Today, I coach for KING Aquatics, a competitive swim team in Washington State where I’m tasked with the athletic, interpersonal, and character development of 30 young athletes. Coaching taught me that a relationship, established through careful intention toward enjoying the learning process, is the most rewarding catalyst for someone’s personal growth

I am serious about fun. As a coach, fun is defined as the commitment to enjoying every moment of a student’s learning process. This commitment reveals, to both student and teacher, the intrinsic positive reward of process-oriented growth. This signal of positive reward— fun— is the corrective force which allows for a student’s continual improvement.

I look forward to serving this summer’s campers by fostering their growth toward becoming well adjusted and competent leaders.

Counselor Introductions 2026!My name is Lily Dickson, and I am excited to participate in Summer Honors for the first tim...
05/30/2026

Counselor Introductions 2026!
My name is Lily Dickson, and I am excited to participate in Summer Honors for the first time! I am a history major/Spanish minor entering my senior year at UNG. I love to row on Lake Lanier with our college team and spend time outdoors backpacking on the Appalachian Trail. On campus I work as a mascot handler for Nigel; I really enjoy going behind the scenes to see all the working parts of the university and helping students/staff with an array of projects. I am also the informal photographer of all my friends. Can't wait to meet everyone!

Counselor Introductions 2026!Hello! My name is Grayson Ludington, and I am a sophomore at UNG majoring in English Writin...
05/29/2026

Counselor Introductions 2026!
Hello! My name is Grayson Ludington, and I am a sophomore at UNG majoring in English Writing and Publication and minoring in Business. I am beyond thrilled to be a part of this year’s Summer Honors program! As someone who was once a camper, I can say with full certainty how incredible and transformative of an experience it is. I am a member of the Honors College here at UNG and work on campus as a trained trip lead for our Outdoor Adventures program. Additionally, I plan to start next semester as a first year RA. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, traveling, cooking, writing, and teaching myself instruments. I cannot wait to get to know all of our amazing campers and hope you all come out of the camp with the same amount of growth I got to see in both myself and others. See you then!

Counselor Introductions 2026!Hey y'all, my name is Felisha Yarborough. I am a sophomore at UNG majoring in History Educa...
05/27/2026

Counselor Introductions 2026!
Hey y'all, my name is Felisha Yarborough. I am a sophomore at UNG majoring in History Education. I am so excited to be a Summer Honors camp counselor. I was a camper in summer of 2024, and I enjoyed every minute of this camp. It is truly an amazing experience and you get to meet amazing people. I like to rock climb and hike when possible. I love to make crafts, especially bracelets. I also have a deep love of going to the Georgia Aquarium. At UNG, I am a Bold Scholar, Peer Health Educator, and will be an RA next semester. I truly can't wait to meet all of you amazing people and sharp minds. See y'all soon!

Counselor Introductions 2026! Hello everyone! My name is Emma Goss, and this is my second year serving as a counselor at...
05/25/2026

Counselor Introductions 2026!
Hello everyone! My name is Emma Goss, and this is my second year serving as a counselor at Summer Honors. I am headed into my junior year at UGA and am majoring in English literature. On campus, I work as an Honors Teaching Assistant for first-year honors students and am a part of the rock-climbing club, Undergraduate English Association, and Demosthenian Literary Society. In the Athens community, I serve as Head Mentor for the Thomas Lay After-School Program, where I tutor K-5 students in the Clarke County area. In my free time, I enjoy all things outdoors, embroidery, and traveling! Having been a Summer Honors camper myself, I have seen first-hand how revolutionary the work done at camp can be. I am beyond grateful to play even a small part in helping our campers grow and cannot wait to meet everyone!

PARENTS OF JUNIORS, read this quote from a parent whose son attended our program. You need this in your life! “ASCEND: S...
05/01/2026

PARENTS OF JUNIORS, read this quote from a parent whose son attended our program. You need this in your life! “ASCEND: Summer Honors helped my son develop confidence and self-trust to take his leadership to the next level. Through structured opportunities to lead, he honed his communication, teamwork and conflict-resolution skills. Time away from home also encouraged meaningful self-reflection and personal growth. When he returned, he tackled his college applications and interviews with ease."

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Vickery House
Dahlonega, GA
30597

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