Announcing Summer 2025: Timeless Skills, Real Impact
What if your teen spent the summer building a passion project—then pitched it to a panel of industry leaders like Diane von Furstenberg, Deb Liu (CEO of Ancestry), and Hadi Partovi (founder of Code.org)?
Now imagine their Common App with highlights like these:
- Congressional App Challenge winner
- Launched a fashion social enterprise that earned $3K+
- Published research, earning admissions to Stanford & Harvard Programs
What if that summer didn’t just impress colleges—but helped your child become the kind of thinker, doer, and leader who thrives in any future?
That’s exactly what Curious Cardinals’ 2025 Summer Program is all about.
Introducing Timeless Skills in an AI Era
In an AI-powered world, it’s not about memorizing facts—it’s about learning how to think, lead, and make an impact.
AI is rewriting the rules. What used to impress just isn’t enough anymore.
Top colleges and employers want: Doers. Builders. Communicators. Leaders.
We help students develop these through hands-on projects that prepare them for college—and life.
🎯 Four Summer Program Tracks
Your student chooses what excites them most. We provide the structure, accountability and mentorship to bring their dream project to life.
- Portfolio Creation: Design and develop tangible projects—from robotics prototypes to creative writing collections.
- Launching an Organization: Transform bold ideas into real-world ventures—whether it’s a social impact initiative or a profitable business.
- Research: Conduct meaningful research, publish original work, and stand out academically. Submit your work for awards and recognition.
- Content Creation: Define your unique point of view. Create your own blog, social media page, or podcast—and learn how to grow and engage your audience.
Throughout the summer, you will also have exclusive access to bi-weekly workshops on topics ranging from vibe coding to prompt engineering, storytelling, resume building, and more.
💥 The Grand Finale: Pitch Your Project to Timeless Icons & Expert Judges
All student projects must be submitted by Sunday, August 17th to qualify for our Live Pitch Competition on August 24th.
Finalists will present their work to a panel of star judges—including Diane von Furstenberg, Deb Liu, and Hadi Partovi—with the chance to win a $1,000 fellowship stipend to take their project to the next level in the coming school year.
⏳ Limited Spots Available
We’re capping enrollment to ensure every student gets paired with a top mentor that has been trained and personally onboarded by our education team for our summer cohort.
👉 Next Steps
To reserve a mentor and ensure priority access (spots are filling up quickly):
If you’d like to learn more, see more info on our summer offerings here!
