For hundreds of students in New York and Los Angeles, BEAM summer programs are something special — a place where they can discover the joy of math, nurture their curiosity and creativity, and build community.
Lia, who attended BEAM Summer Away, wrote: “BEAM is so much more than math, and so much more than just a summer camp.”
FOSTERING A LOVE OF MATH AT BEAM DISCOVERY
More than 270 rising 7th graders in Los Angeles and New York City spent five weeks at Discovery exploring deep and interesting math. Students chose their own classes — like Truth, Lies, and Logic; Mysterious Patterns; and Astronomy — solved math puzzles on teams as part of relays, and tackled the 100 Problem Challenge (100 brainteaser math problems they can collaborate to solve).
Haneul, a student at Discovery Los Angeles, came away with a new perspective on math: “BEAM encourages us to become our full self in math and to collaborate, share different ideas, and compare and contrast with others. We learn things in more complex and advanced ways that pretty much none of us thought would be possible.”
Some exciting math-y outcomes at Discovery this summer:
At Discovery, students showed growth on a pre-/post-test we use to measure problem solving; when we asked, “How much do you feel your math skills grew this summer?” (on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the most growth), 82% responded with a 5 or higher!
Students also grew in their perseverance at challenging problems. Alonzo described his experience working on a particularly difficult problem: “It was not only devastating when I got it wrong multiple times, but it was also awesome learning from my mistakes and improving from them.”
Many of our Discovery students said they’d recommend BEAM to their friends. Josselyn said: “I would tell my friends that if you think the math is easy at your school and want to challenge yourself you should apply at BEAM. This program is everything: it's fun [and] challenging. This felt like a second home.”
BUILDING SKILLS AND COMMUNITY AT BEAM SUMMER AWAY
116 rising 8th graders attended BEAM’s Summer Away program, held at Marist, Union, and Harvey Mudd colleges. At Summer Away, students spent three weeks on a college campus, where they challenged themselves in classes like Strategic Math Thinking, Graph Theory, and Cryptography. Students participated in math relays and collaborated on special "Challenge Problems," proof-based problems presented to the entire program to solve as a group for which they could earn prizes.
For many students, Summer Away is their first time away from home, so creating a welcoming, caring environment is critical. This year, 85% of students reported a strong sense of community, and 95% of students said they’d recommend BEAM to others. Izamar said: “I promise you, even if you know no one, BEAM will help you make life-long friends and connections with counselors and with teachers that will make you fall in love with math. This program will change your life, your perception, and how you view things. I would do this again in a heartbeat.”
Here are some highlights from our Summer Away outcomes:
At Summer Away at Harvey Mudd College, students left the program loving math more than ever before. At the beginning of Summer Away, 54% of students responded positively to a survey question about enjoying math, and post program, 87% of students responded positively, demonstrating a significant increase in math enjoyment and interest!
At Marist College, students surpassed our expectations when it came to growing their problem-solving skills — over the course of just three weeks, the median student grew 10.8% in national ranking on the AMC 8 mathematical contest!
Lastly, BEAM students at Union College left feeling much more confident about their math skills; when asked how much they felt their math skills grew over the summer on a scale of 1 to 7, 83% responded with a 5 or higher, and 20% of the students gave their skills growth a 7 out of 7.
At the end of the summer, Hangsa wrote: “The community, challenges, and fun you will get from BEAM Summer Away are life-changing!”
FAMILIAR FACES IN LEADERSHIP
Every summer, older BEAM students return to give back to the program and mentor younger students, while also gaining valuable (paid) work experience. This year, more than 30 summer program alumni served as counselors, teaching assistants, and in leadership roles, including two alumni who returned to teach.
BEAM student Maya P. reflected on her “full circle moment” returning to Discovery Los Angeles as a counselor: “I got to see [Discovery Los Angeles] from a different perspective, which showed me how much I’ve grown from middle school to now. I saw some of myself in the students and saw them go through obstacles that I dealt with in middle school, which made me even more appreciative of the BEAM program, as I got to truly understand how much it aided in my passion for mathematics.”
Annie, a summer program alumni and Summer Away counselor, emphasized her role in shaping a safe space for students. “Having been a part of BEAM, I understand the importance of giving young, historically marginalized students a place to grow. I love working with students who I share a background with and showing them that BEAM is here to help guide them throughout their academic journey.” Annie came away from her experience feeling proud of being a mentor students could relate to: “A student this summer wrote in our end of camp yearbook that they ‘want to come back and work for BEAM as [I] have.’ Moments like that show me the importance of students having role models, and the lasting impact that that positive influence can have on developing students.”
REFLECTING ON A TRANSFORMATIVE SUMMER
We’re so proud of what our students achieved this summer, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for them. For our students, BEAM is more than just a summer program; in the words of Summer Away student Lia, “You grow to feel at home with the counselors and other campers, so much so that they begin to feel more like your family. BEAM opens your mind to math you never thought possible, and I will never let go of the memories I've made here.”