By Indiya Clarke ’26
There is a lot more to the college application process than filling out an application. Wofford College faculty and a student spent time guiding high school students from around Spartanburg through the finer details of attending college by hosting an iCAN Spartanburg camp.
iCAN Spartanburg is a near peer mentoring program that partners with the Citizens Scholars Institute, a nonprofit in downtown Spartanburg, says Dr. James Stukes, Wofford’s assistant dean of student success and college access. Stukes also is involved with Wofford’s Gateway Scholars, acts as the head of iCAN Spartanburg and serves as the co-chair of the Citizens Scholars executive board.
The program assists high school students in the college application process and with finding suitable scholarships to apply for.
“Students learned about the common application, talked about financial aid options and about when to start applying to colleges,” Stukes says.
Students had the opportunity to work closely with several professors during the two-day camp. Dr. Lisa Cantwell, visiting assistant professor of biology; Dr. Caleb Arrington, professor and chair of chemistry; Dr. Carol Martsberger, associate professor of physics; Dr. Crystal Carr, assistant professor of psychology; and Dr. Jennifer Bradham, assistant professor of environmental studies, each hosted an introduction to their fields.
Kleo Young ’25, a biology and chemistry double major from Anderson, South Carolina, assisted with the camp.
“I helped lead a STEM camp in Milliken for the campers,” says, Young, who led chemistry-based labs on the second day of the camp. “We made ice cream and lava lamps, little things to get them excited about chemistry.”
The camp closed with dinner downtown and with bowling at the end of their night. Twelve students participated in the overnight camp.
“It’s never too early to begin getting ready for college,” Stukes says. “They’re getting firsthand knowledge from professionals who work on the college access side of things as opposed to students who may not get that access early on.”