"Juilliard here I come!" is a sign that has hung on Hannah Wright's wall since she was 11.

Wright graduated early from high school, attended BYU for the past year and now, at the age of 17, she is one of 24 dancers who was recently accepted to study ballet at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.

Wright said one of the most valuable things she did to prepare to attend her dream school was to attend the Juilliard Summer Dance Intensive two summers in high school. This three-week summer program accepts 44 talented high school dancers to study under Juilliard instructors.

"The learning atmosphere at Juilliard is so educational," Wright said. "All the kids there are very dedicated. I've grown up in local studios and did dancing for fun, but I got there and everyone was so passionate about it, and they were true artists. It inspired me to just want to do dance. ... It taught me to go for it."

"The program helped get me into the school because they look for dancers who can take corrections and progress because they've seen me in previous years," she said.

Wright was also recently invited by the Long Beach Ballet to dance in Beijing China during the Olympics.

A dancer, humanitarian and outdoorsy-gal all have at least one thing in common - they know how to make the most out of their summer vacation.

Consider real-world work experience as the cure to the summer blues. Three ambitious BYU students, as well as many others, have found their own answers to building up their resumes, serving, fulfilling a passion and paving the road for their futures.

Applications for summer internships, field studies and programs are generally accepted between November and January, but it's possible to plan now for summer 2009. Paid or not, summer is an excellent time to learn outside the classroom, pursue interests and gain applicable experience to whatever lies in the future.

Caitlin Carroll is a junior from Columbia, S.C. At the time of her BYU field study in South Africa last summer, Carroll was considering a major in public health, with a minor in international development. Carroll said she had life-changing, career-forming experiences while working at the Salem Baby Care Center, as well as the Ikhwezi Lokusa Wellness Center - the largest comprehensive AIDS clinic in sub-Saharan Africa.

"I like BYU field studies because they are amazing opportunities to apply what you are learning in the classroom to the real world," Carroll said. "They are unstructured and a way to realize your capabilities. You're trained well and given the tools, but what you do with those tools makes or breaks your experience in the field."

Carroll worked in Duncan Village of East London, South Africa, from May to August 2007. Preparing for such an expedition began in December 2006. Carroll took a three-credit preparation class where she wrote a research paper about her prospective field study, as well as learned about the culture she was going to adopt for the summer months.

Carroll recalled several of her South African experiences. As a result of traveling to surrounding countries, working with the people, learning about the culture and history, as well as learning the Xhosa language, Carroll said she became more sympathetic.

"After knowing more, I became less judgmental in general. It gave me a hands-on experience. Field studies give you a chance to really see what you're going to be doing in the future. Especially in the development field, experiences are so key."

Experience is indisputably necessary for every career-path. Whether future plans include working in an AIDS clinic or working with at-risk youth, hands-on experience is considered extremely valuable.

Katie Hamson, a senior from Boise, Idaho, majoring in therapeutic recreation, has interned for the last two summers as well as this upcoming summer, at an at-risk youth adventure therapy program.

The program is designed to help youth who abuse drugs and alcohol, have anger management problems or lack motivation in school. Hamson said the best part about her time interning with the organization is seeing the positive change in the youth from the time they arrive to their departure eight weeks later.

The participants' time in the program is filled with backpacking trips, canyoneering, rock climbing, cooking, rafting and attending group therapy sessions.

Hamson said she has really enjoyed interning with the program, and said summer is a great time to pursue interests and build up a resume.

"Summertime gives you valuable work experience that looks good on a resume, and when you get out in the work world you are not totally shocked," Hamson said. "The most practical knowledge comes from these sorts of experiences. They prepare you for when you start your career. You're just that much ahead of everyone else."

"Working in a program like this has really solidified my desire to work with youth, and especially the at-risk youth population," Hamson said. "I hope to work with kids at a residential treatment center, and if residents there had been to one of these programs, I could relate to them better. This experience will really help me when I'm a therapist."

Copyright Brigham Young University 9 Apr 2008