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Travel programs with the Smithsonian Institution for grades 8–12

Challenge yourself academically at the world's most prestigious universities

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High school youth summit focused on public health, climate change, and equity

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Campus-based climate change program for grades 9–12

Telemetry Tracking & Safari: Notes from Namibia

Based for several days at N/a’an ku sé Wildlife Sanctuary, students on our Career Namibia program headed out onto the savannah to learn to use telemetry tracking equipment for cheetah research, then went on a safari drive around the reserve. Here is their blog, written by students, about the experience!

This morning we woke up to the chilly morning air of the African savannah. After a 6:30am wake up song from Simone and Chris, we all met up at the activity center to have a healthy breakfast. After breakfast the group split up into two smaller groups and went to activities. The first group went into the bush, learning how to use a telemetry tracker to find a tracking collar that Group Two had hidden the day before.

While Group One was doing this, Group Two visited the cheetahs in their enclosure, which Group One had done yesterday. After about an hour, Group One managed to find the collar in the bush using telemetry. Then they met up with Group Two back at the activity center and we ate lunch. We also had a really delicious Namibian/South African traditional dessert.

After lunch we went as a whole group on a safari drive around the reserve. We saw eland, elephants, giraffes, guinea fowl, and some really cool birds. We were there for about two hours, and it was super beautiful and sunny the whole time. After the safari, we had a quick break and then had a really interesting conversation with our conservation expert Flo about conservation technology. After dinner we had a conversation with some Namibian locals about Namibian culture. It was super interesting and taught us a lot about Namibia and its cultural diversity. After that, we had a group reflection and then walked outside to our tents.

— Emerson & Ellen

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College Essays

View alumni college essays about their transformative summers with Putney.

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Pre-College
Barcelona
Tokyo
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You may also like
Climate & Conservation
Baja & the Gulf of California
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Canadian Arctic
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Namibia
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Australia & Fiji
Australia, New Zealand, & Fiji
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Switzerland, Italy, France, & Holland
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France
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Spain
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Service
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Ecuador & the Galápagos
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Morocco
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Eligible for 8th grade*​
Columbia Climate School Collaboration
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*These programs are typically for students in grades 9–12, however motivated rising 9th graders will be considered
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