SUMMER SCHOLARS AT CHAUTAUQUA
Honors students from community colleges across the country come to Chautauqua Institution for a week-long educational, cultural, and social capital enrichment experience (all expenses paid).
We bring these remarkable young people together in order to:
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connect and learn from one another,
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take advantage of the educational opportunities (e.g., lectures, classes, prose & poetry readings),
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experience the cultural offerings (e.g., symphony concerts, opera, dance, and theater performances)
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meet many people who can connect them with new information, contacts, and opportunities
Scholar Experience
A Typical Day
as a Summer Scholar @ CHQ
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Wake up & have breakfast
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8:30 am Morning group check-in ~ discuss the day ahead & process the previous day through conversation & journaling
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Attend morning lectures &/or other events*
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Lunch
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Attend afternoon lectures & other events
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4:30 pm Connecting Conversations ~ Gather in the plaza with other Scholars to meet people interested in learning about you.
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6:00 pm Dinner & debrief about the day
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8:15 pm Evening Performance at the Amphitheater (symphony, ballet, etc.)
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Return to the house, hang out & connect with other Scholars
*Scholars are required to attend a certain number of lectures, arts events, and discussions during the week. They have a wide range of choices to fulfill these requirements. They also have time to visit, for example, the farmers market, library, art museums, or to take a walk by the lake or rest at the house.
Connect with an Alum
Want to learn about the experience from a previous Summer Scholar? Complete our form, and we'll put you in touch with one!
In Their Words
I can't put into words how greatly Chautauqua has impacted my life and how grateful I am to have experienced such a place and such people.
The wisdom and love I received this week was invaluable.
Spending a week in the Chautauqua community gave me a renewed sense of purpose. I came in unsure of what to expect, but left with confidence, clarity, and connections that made me feel like I truly belonged.
It was like I was poured into, until my cup overflowed. I feel like I can do anything despite the odds!
I can't put into words how greatly this experience has impacted my life and how grateful I am to have experienced such a place and such people.
I’m especially grateful for the new friendships I made with people from different states and for how quickly we bonded.
The impact of this program was life changing. I’m particularly grateful for the people I met and the opportunities that followed me home.
I came away from each conversation feeling more and more ready for my future.
I did not expect to make real connections but I learned a lot and my perspective is completely changed for the best.
I came away from the trip with amazing connections with wonderful people and a clearer view of what I want and how to get it.
I walked where porches whispered stories,
old houses leaning like wise friends.
The lake held the sky like a promise, and lectures lit fires behind my eyes.
In the hush of the amphitheater,
and Hall of Philosophy,
I learned that silence listens too.
Ideas soared, unafraid
and so did I.
Among strangers, I shed my armor.
Vulnerability felt like opening a window.
Even the breeze carried culture,
even the stillness, meaning.
I woke early to walk the quiet shore,
footsteps soft against the sleeping earth,
watching the mist curl above the water
like a secret only morning knows.
Then came the rhythm of days
events that stretched the mind,
speeches that stitched thought to feeling,
music and meaning in every corner.
And in the in between,
laughter over meals,
long talks under hanging lights,
the warmth of people who felt like they’d always known me.
We became a found family
not by blood, but by belief,
that learning matters,
that kindness speaks loud,
that being open is brave.
Now the week folds into memory but something stays,
a thought, a feeling,
a self newly seen, and loved,
by the edge of the lake.
Thank you, Chautauqua!
- Bawi Thawng
2025 Summer Scholar at Chautauqua