Updated 2/5/25
Robertson Summers offer powerful opportunities for transformation for those who open themselves to the possibilities. The process is based on the familiar questions, "Who am I? What am I committed to? How do I want to grow as a leader? How do I create that opportunity?"
These Scholars and Coaches have committed to Summer 2025.
Based on the Progress Reports submitted in December 2024, we've expanded this document to provide more detail. New materials added mid-January include a "proposal dialogue" and examples of meeting the funding criteria. See Important Documents, below.
Timeline for Exploration and Launch Summer 2025
- February 2025: Revising, submitting
- Revise according to feedback.
- Request April 1 deadline if relevant (see January 23 Bulletin for more details)
- Prepare final proposal and budget for submission.
- March 2025:
- Submit complete packet of materials by March 3. (instructions under revision 2025)
- If complete and approved, check will be available end of March.
- Begin to complete Final Information form. (under revision 2025)
- April 2025: Preparing
- Submit complete packet of materials by April1, if relevant.
- Attend Robertson Send-Off April __, 2025.
- Final preparation of materials: register international trips, risk forms, etc.
- Complete Final Information form. (under revision 2025)
- May 2025: Preparing
- Final preparation of materials.
- Summer payment for April 1 deadline will be available end of May.
- May to August 2025: Summer is here!
- Staff are available for conversation, support, and affirmation.
- The offices are quiet.
- Community Summer dinners in Mississippi, New Orleans, Tarboro, and Whitesburg
- August 2025: Reflecting (again!)
- Complete end-of-summer steps as requested
- August/September 2024: Reflecting
- Close out Summer 2024! Review your Summer 2024 reflection and staff feedback for a reminder of what you learned and how you still want to grow.
- You must complete Summer 2024 through reflection before entering the Summer 2025 process.
- Participate in the All Scholars Community Dinner September 6.
- Sophomore retreat, September 13-15. Junior huddles, throughout fall.
- Close out Summer 2024! Review your Summer 2024 reflection and staff feedback for a reminder of what you learned and how you still want to grow.
- September/October 2024: Reflecting, ideating
- Talk to Alumni! This list includes Alumni who have signed up to be available to you–even just for a conversation. You can ask them anything.
- Read “Recent Scholar Projects” below, under "Where to go for ideas and inspiration."
- Invite a Summer Coach to join you. This person will work with you throughout your planning.
- Participate in an optional Connecting with a Summer Coach workshop. 9/26 update: We held four, and they were great! Check Vicki's email from 9/17/24 if you missed them and want to know more.
- Enroll in the Summer 2025 process by October 7. If you say "yes":
- You will work with the Summer Coach you have identified.
- You will complete a Progress Report by December 20.
- You will submit a complete proposal and budget by March 3, 2025.
- You will attend to risk management and travel requirements, such as registering international trips.
- You will complete end-of-summer steps in August 2025.
- All Scholars preparing for Exploration or Launch Summer will attend the Summer Possibilities Workshop October 24 at UNC, 5:30-8:00 PM, including dinner. Graham Memorial lounge. 10/25 update: Over 50 sophomores, juniors, and seniors participated in this fun and thoughtful event. Here are the slides. Online makeup session will take place December 5, 12-2:00.
- Interested in the Writing Groups? Here's the info .
- November 2024: Ideating, generating
- Consider this statement, from Mikhal Ben-Joseph (2023): “During the Summer, I would love to _____.”
- Do some soul-searching and include people who know you. What’s missing for you? How can Summer 2025 be a chance to open your heart and mind to new places, activities, and experiences? How can you get to the possibility you declared in the Summer Possibilities Workshop?
- Optional online coaching sessions with Alumni, November 10-19, 2024. Sign up here!
- What's your path? Where are you on the long road to Summer?
- December 2024: Drafting
- Make-up Summer Possibilities Workshop, December 5, 12-2:00 EST. Zoom
- Complete Progress Report by December 20.
- January 2025: Drafting, revising
- Submit an optional draft for review by January 22. Here are the instructions.
Important documents
- Commonly asked questions
- Proposal Components and Funding a Transformational Summer
- Optional rough draft instructions Summer 2025 Submit rough draft here
- Sample Summer "proposal" dialogue
- Meeting the Funding Criteria: Samples of Scholar Work
- How to get the most from your work with your Summer Coach
- Tips from Vicki on proposal writing
- Alumni offered these suggestions for planning an intentional Summer.
- If you get stuck, try these strategies.
- Notes for Alumni: Scholar Coaching Conversations
- Instructions for final materials Summer 2024 (will be revised)
- Choosing a Summer Coach
- Vicki's invitation from 9/12/24 bulletin (go to page 5)
Where can you go for ideas and inspiration?
- Alumni are eager to participate! Here's a list of Alumni who have signed up to be available to you. Ask them anything!
- Watch the Alumni stories at the bottom of this page. You will be inspired and come away with new ideas for Summer!
- Check out the Summer 2024 maps in the Duke office. See who went where last Summer, and be inspired! While you're there, look through the travel guides for helpful information and more ideas.
- Read about recent Scholar projects. Check Robertson Connect for more details about specific projects.
Info for International Travel
- All Scholars will follow Duke policies for international travel and will abide by Duke's Restricted Regions List.
- Duke's international travel registry: ALL Scholars traveling internationally will create a profile and register their trips with Duke.
- UNC Robertsons will follow these steps if they are asking for UNC recognition of their activities OR they are international UNC Scholars. Will be updated for 2025.
- US Department of State Travel Advisories: The State Department informs Duke's and UNC's policies. This site also has excellent resources for travel to any international location.
- This is a great resource from UNC for international travelers.
Resources and Opportunities for 2025--posted as they are shared with staff
- American Dance Festival in Durham offers internships in arts production and administration.
- American Enterprise Institute offers a Summer Honors Program recommended by Alumnus Andrew Sugrue and current Scholars Matthew Tweden and Katelyn Cai.
- Annunciation House in El Paso has a ten-week summer program to work with refugees.
- FLAS fellowships. Many Robertsons, including Rahel Petros and Eli Hornstein, have participated in the Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship program, which is offered through both Duke and UNC.
- Alumnus Lawton Ives (2020) strongly recommends the National Park Service summer internships.
- Public Policy and International Affairs program (PPIA) has summer learning opportunities for students interested in public service.
- RTI International offers domestic and international internships in social and lab science, engineering, and international development.
- Student Action with Farmworkers, a longtime partner to the Robertson program, offers an outstanding summer internship with some of the best support/training/reflection practices and most authentic community engagement Vicki has seen. Alumni Professor Chris Paul and Dr. Nandini Kumar highly recommend this experience! Carolina Mendez and Nancy Garcia Villa (2026) are currently interns with SAF!
- Unite for Sight supports eye clinics worldwide by investing human and financial resources in their social ventures to eliminate patient barriers to eye care. The Global Impact Corps provides year-round health care delivery in Ghana, Honduras, and India and offers summer fellowships.
Additional Resources
(A few) Third-party providers These organizations provide opportunities for interactions that are hard to create as an individual, particularly in international medical, educational, or other settings. Some offer valuable opportunities to learn about new places. (This list doesn't indicate RSLP endorsement, although Scholars have worked with all of them.)
- A Broader View
- Connect 1-2-3
- Cross-Cultural Solutions
- Educational Tours
- Foundation for Sustainable Development Bolivia
- Hope Worldwide
- MENTE Argentina
- Operation Groundswell
- Projects Abroad
Transferable Skills Worksheet This will help you organize and articulate the skills you have and those who you want to gain through Summers.