One way to put worried minds at ease before the unknown of college is by giving students a sneak peek into the experience. Hundreds of teenagers visited higher education campuses across the country as part of the Summer Springboard program, gaining opportunities to learn about selecting a school, academic majors, and professional life.
“Immersion is the key,” Cal Poly Executive Communications Specialist Keegan Koberl said in an email interview with New Times. “Students are not simply sitting in a classroom listening to lectures; they learn something and then do something with it—the Cal Poly approach.”
For two weeks in July, high schoolers lived in Cal Poly residence halls and ate at campus dining facilities for the holistic social experience. The smaller setting was designed to give students an opportunity to gain confidence navigating non-academic aspects of campus life. A commuter option was available, too.
During school days, teens were busy completing assignments in between listening to guest speakers and attending field trips.
Dive in
To learn more about Summer Springboard ahead of the 2027 cohort in San Luis Obispo, visit summerspringboard.calpoly.edu. Find general information about programs across all campuses at summerspringboard.com.
“Beyond their academic courses, students participate in afternoon college-readiness workshops covering public speaking, essay writing, and financial wellness,” Koberl said. “They also meet with admissions officers to discuss their coursework and the college application process.”
The program’s goal is to give young students clarity about their interests and allow teens to imagine themselves thriving in college. Previous program participants have eventually decided to attend Cal Poly after high school, Koberl said.
To help with program costs, Cal Poly distributes financial aid for Summer Springboard and awards three fully funded scholarships. Commuting to campus is another low-cost option.
Cal Poly began its collaboration with Summer Springboard three years ago. Other participating universities include Vanderbilt University, UC Santa Barbara, Georgia Tech, and Yale University.
At the Grand Avenue campus, students absorbed information from Cal Poly professors and local professionals in fields like public health, robotics, sustainability, political science, and business.
It was the first summer that Hotel San Luis Obispo served as a site for one of the academic excursions, highlighting Cal Poly’s “learn by doing” philosophy. Roughly a dozen students who were enrolled in a marketing course spent an afternoon at the downtown hotel learning about social media.
The hotel’s director of sales and marketing, Carolina Ertani, expressed excitement about exposing the group to hospitality industry marketing.
“Sometimes we don’t necessarily think about that. You know, it’s marketing applied to retail, marketing to fashion, to social media, but sometimes the hospitality piece gets a little missed,” Ertani told New Times. “I really wanted the students to be aware that they can pursue that as a real opportunity later on.”
‘They’re very young, very talented. They worked on those projects for one day … I thought they had worked on them for weeks.’
—Carolina Ertani, Hotel San Luis Obispo director of sales and marketing
During the program, Ertani overviewed the hotel, its fine dining, and the community through her social media strategy. She explained the trend of travelers choosing smaller, family-run accommodations rather than corporate-owned hotels. It was a swift crash course in the ups and downs of marketing for an operation like hers.
“Independent hotels don’t have a brand behind, so even more we need to work and make sure that we’re present, that people know about us,” Ertani said.
Then, students gave their own presentations about the strengths and weaknesses of the hotel’s online presence. Ertani said she was impressed with the quality of their work in such a short amount of time.
“They’re so smart,” she said. “They’re very young, very talented. They worked on those projects for one day. … I thought they had worked on them for weeks.”
Ertani wanted fresh perspectives from the younger generation that spends a lot of time online. She said they had ideas like getting the property’s Instagram account verified, mixing up the style of Instagram videos, and creating a TikTok page for the hotel in addition to the one for High Bar, the property’s rooftop lounge.
Top students earned prizes for the best presentations, and Ertani handed out Hotel San Luis Obispo swag bags and cookies. Though it was the business’s first time hosting Summer Springboard, the director said it won’t be the last.
Ertani already has plans for next year’s event, brainstorming about having the class over for lunch or extending the timeline to pack in more activities.
“I was really impressed,” Ertani said. “I know they were very happy and excited when we wrapped up the event.” ∆
Reach Sun Staff Writer Madison White, from New Times’ sister paper, at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Student Guide 2026.
