Chantella Mitchell

Chantella Mitchell

Current Year: Junior

Major: Sociology and Women’s & Gender Studies

What is something unique about you? – I love music and I am familiar with at least some artists (composers, performers, writers, etc.) in most genres. I have played the cello for 10 years and have been proficient in reading and playing piano music since I was about 8. I enjoy Pop, Rock, R&B & rap music, but I also love classical, opera, and show tunes!

What thought or message would you want to put in a fortune cookie? – Be kind to everyone, you never know when people need it.

If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to? – Claudia

If you could be a character in any book, which would you choose and why? – Katniss Everdeen!! She is a strong, brave, SMART, resourceful woman!

If you were an ice cream flavor, which one would you be and why? – Butter Pecan; sweet and savory!

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What is something unique about you? – I am obsessed with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.  My wife and I have been collecting the lids from Ben and Jerry’s pints for over 10 years, and we now have lids from over 70 flavors.  Favorites include “Coffee Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz”, “Chubby Hubby”, and “Triple Caramel Chunk.” Mmm . . . . ice cream . . .

What made you want to work with Vanderbilt Summer Academy? – I fell in love with summer academic programs when my wife and I taught for Duke’s Talent Identification Program. Those summers taught me how meaningful these kinds of programs can be for students, and when we moved to Nashville, I knew I wanted to get involved with Vanderbilt’s program.

What were you doing before you came to Vanderbilt? – In addition to teaching architecture at TIP, I’ve worked as a lifeguard, a production supervisor at the Honeybaked Ham Company, and a stay-at-home dad.

Now for some silly questions:

How far East can you go before you’re heading West? – I’d say all the way.  Yes, all the way East.

How fast do hotcakes sell? – As fast as VSA classes fill :)

What is your top non-vocational goal in life? – All my life I’ve had one dream, to achieve my many goals.

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Pharmacology: How Drugs Work

About me: I was born and raised in Philadelphia but have lived in the South for the past 20 years. I was finishing my psychology degree when chemistry stole my heart. I love the challenge of chemistry, the practical applications it offers society and the creative aspects of the art. My passion is my family. My hobbies are hiking, cooking, dreaming, gardening, and time with friends.

What is your top non-vocational goal in life? –  African Safari / writing a book / zip-lining the rainforest / learn to play an instrument

If your plane was about to crash, who would you want sitting next to you? – The Fluffy comedian – Gabriel Iglesias-. I want to die laughing.

If you could get a yacht, what would you call it? – Buddha Babe

If you HAD to eat a penguin, which part would you eat first? Explain your answer. – This has about the same appeal as eating road kill…

What one commandment would you add to the existing ten? – Treat the earth with the respect that it deserves.

What was the worst haircut you ever had? When did you have it? – When I was 6 I went in for a long shag on my waist length hair and came out with a pixie cut. I hid for weeks!

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Simon Lee

Simon Lee

Baseball by the Numbers

Structural Engineering

Special Topics in Math

About me: I’m a junior at Vanderbilt University, but I am originally from New Jersey. I am working towards a double major in Secondary Education and Math. When I’m not doing that, I like to hang out with friends, practice kendo, and eat out. I love trying new things and making new memories!

What is your top non-vocational goal in life? – Visit all 7 continents

What do you plan to do with your degree? – I plan on teaching in the public school setting

If you could get a yacht, what would you call it? – Cielo Mio

What one commandment would you add to the existing ten? – Always push yourself to the limit

If you could go on a road trip with any person (alive or dead) whom would you choose and where would you go? – I would just take a drive with Hayao Miyazaki without any destination.

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Teenagers can be notoriously mum. You ask them about their lives and get very little information back. Sometimes you may feel like you are talking to a “caveman.” You ask, “How was your day?” And the response is a neolithic grunt.

Now imagine this: You pick up your child after VSA. They spent six hours a day learning what it normally takes an entire semester to teach. Their evenings have been filled with fun and new friends. Normally, if you ask, “How was VSA?” you should expect to hear something like, “Fine.”

But what if you could say something that would lead to an amazing, energetic conversation instead? It’s easier than you think.

"So tell me about this picture. What's that big cart thing?"

The trick is to be specific. Instead of asking, “How was VSA?” try, “Tell me about your visit to Radnor lake,” or “What did you do with ‘nanotubes’ in the lab?” Specific questions are the keys to specific answers.

Plus it makes you magic! Your kid stops texting, looks over at you, and asks, “How did you know that?” This leads to maybe one of the best conversations you’ve had in months.

So, how did you know that? How can you keep up with what your child will be doing at Vanderbilt this summer? All it takes is three easy steps:

Step 1: Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Step 2: Check out the VSA blog.

Step 3: Use what you learn to show your interest by asking detailed questions.

I know I just made a plug for our social media. If you are like me, you may be thinking, “Oh great! More spam!” I get it! Most organizations use things like Twitter to promote their “brand.” But that’s not the way we look at it. We at Programs for Talented Youth don’t think of social media as advertising tools. We think of them as relationship tools! We want to help your kids connect with each other, and to help you connect with your kids!

Okay, sometimes we do post updates about upcoming events and reminders about deadlines, but not very often. And if you can be forgetful sometimes (like me), then gentle reminders aren’t exactly a bad thing.

Take a quick look at our blog or Twitter feed to see what I mean. Lately we have been featuring short, fun, and sometimes silly profiles of the people who will be teaching and supervising your kids at VSA. This summer, we will start updating and posting about what our students are doing both inside and outside of the classroom. We will be profiling classes and even posting some photos. (We care about safety. Most updates about events will happen after the event has ended. Pictures of your child are never posted without permission, and we never post our students’ names).

"Was this your Arete? Which one are you?"

I am not suggesting you Twitter-stalk your kids. I am suggesting you take what you already know and use it to have great conversations.

Is your kid in Astronomy? Start today! Take a look at Dr. Erika Grundstrum’s profile and ask something like, “Did you see that picture of your astronomy professor with finger puppets?” Or you might strike up a conversation about Allison Winstein, the House Master (the person in charge of the residence hall), and the time she met a shark.

Like I said, it’s all about the details. I can’t promise that you will have the best conversation of your life, but I can guarantee you will hear more than just, “Fine.”

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Erika Grundstrom

Erika Grundstrom

Cosmic Voyage: Astronomy

Astronomy

About me: While it may be a little bit of a cliché, I am an astrophysicist because of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” It was my favorite show when in middle and high school. I once wanted to build the warp drive, but I found that studying the stars was the next best thing, and I LOVE to teach people about the wonders of the universe! When not looking up, you can find me dancing (swing, two-step, ballroom, belly), ridding my lawn of dandelions, playing volleyball, reading, or out finding music!

What is your top non-vocational goal in life? – Visit the ancestral lands in Scandinavia

If your plane was about to crash, who would you want sitting next to you? – Someone with a parachute that could carry the weight of both of us.

If you could get a yacht, what would you call it? – “Ad Astra” (it means “To the Stars” in Latin)

What one commandment would you add to the existing ten? – Thou shalt not impose thy religion on others.

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Leddy Stroud

Leddy Stroud

Current Year: Sophomore

Major: Political Science

What is something unique about you? – In the past few years I have developed an interest in South Asia and have been teaching myself Hindi. I also like doing product design in my spare time, and I plan on applying for patents for several of my ideas in the next few months.

What thought or message would you want to put in a fortune cookie? – May the force be with you.

What would you do on Mars for fun? – Low-gravity Nerf-gun wars

If you could go on a road trip with any person, alive or dead, who would you choose and where would you go? – I would take the Buddha on a ride down to Cancun.

If they made a movie of your life, what would it be about and which actor would you want to play you? – It would be about my adventurous gap year in California and Shia LeBeouf would be a great match for my character.

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Donika Ross

Donika Ross

Finding Your Own Voice

About me: I’m from Los Angeles and southern Arkansas. I’m a grad student in the English because I’ve always loved to read, and I love thinking about the many we can read texts. I write poems and play with my dogs.

What is your top non-vocational goal in life? – I’d really like to go to Wyoming and Montana.

If you could get a yacht, what would you call it? – The S.S. Awesomesauce.

What one commandment would you add to the existing ten? – Love one another.

If you could go on a road trip with any person (alive or dead) whom would you choose and where would you go? – I would go on a road trip with Natasha Trethewey (my favorite poet), and we would go to Wyoming or Montana.

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The House Leadership Team oversees residential and recreational life at VSA, working together to plan activities, run the office, and to help you have a safe and exciting time this summer!

About me: I came to Vanderbilt to get my licenser and M.Ed in Secondary Education. I came here after spending the previous four years studying History and Political Science at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Ideally, I see myself teaching high school AP history and government courses. I’m a bone marrow match with a six year old boy with leukemia and will be donating my bone marrow early this May.

On a scale of 1-10, how cool are you? – I’d give myself a 3.5 and that’s being rather generous. I’m a self-proclaimed nerd. Although I’m usually reading historical books (either Roman or U.S. Constitutional era), I’m currently enthralled with the Harry Potter series, having decided I should finally read it.

How old were you when you got the worst haircut you ever had, and what did you look like? – I would say my sophomore year of high school was the epitome of my bad hair styles, but this resulted from a lack of hair cuts. Back then I was real serious about cross country and track so, naturally, I thought growing my hair longer would make me more like Steve Prefontaine! Also, my passport photo taken that year looks really great with my grotesquely long hair and stylish puka shell necklace.

If you had to eat a raccoon, how would you cook it? – Definitely deep fried. Deep frying makes everything taste better, especially cheese curds to go along with deep fried cod for Friday Night Fish Fry!

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TA Applied Anthropology

About me: I am from California and first become interested in anthropology in high school after taking a college class in cultural anthropology. I spend my spare time cooking and baking.

What was the worst haircut you ever had? When did you have it? – Bowl cut, thanks to my mom in the 2nd grade

If you could go on a road trip with any person (alive or dead) whom would you choose and where would you go? – John Cleese, anywhere

What one commandment would you add to the existing ten? – Do not judge.

What is your top non-vocational goal in life? – I want to take a culinary tour of America.

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