Center for Talented Youth (CTY)
I attended CTY in the summer of 2025.
The Dickinson College campus is lined with welcoming faculty. Quickly browsing the posters, I recognize my class—Great Cases—and there is where I find Mr. Tubbs my new class teacher. Accompanying him, Eniola—the TA (Teaching Assistant) stands proudly with a artistially designed poster. I have just arrived, so when I saw my dorm mate also had no idea of the class curriculum, I felt assured that we would learn together.
Two weeks into camp, I would get to know so many other people across the different subjects. Although the schedule is tight from morning to afternoon, the desk arrangements around circle makes it easy to spread ideas across the classroom. This makes it open to discussion, and Mr. Tubbs does a great job of enforcing that purpose. Since we’ve started our textbook—American Constitutional Law—we’ve covered many different cases in the history of the US Supreme Court, including …. . These are the milestone cases that defined the laws and the interpretations of the laws in this country.
Our classroom is covered with many ideas—across the walls, across the desks, and across the whiteboards—and it is a drastic change from the first class. The judicial timeline that we started progressing through has already been mostly taught and the different posters reflect the newly obtained knowledge.
Each lunch break is filled with different ideas and discussions. Rather than compelling this, our teachers only grant knowledge required. The community is not centered around the classes, but instead, the camper’s curiosity to learn more.
Throughout the CTY experience, we also had creative activities that help balance the schedule. Whether it be water balloon fights, relay races, or even tai chi, each event is carefully planned to tighten the dorm bond, the class bond, and—broader—the CTY bond.
