Summer is the Perfect Time to Get Strategic

You’re a startup with 12 months of capital in the bank. It’s time to get strategic.

You’re a rising junior with 12 months before you must begin your college application process. It’s also time to get strategic. 

Seed stage startups raise money to invest in their idea. To feed it water and explore its potential. But the expectation is that you’ll either use this money to achieve profitability and be self-sufficient or use that funding to make significant progress that demonstrates to investors that you’re worthy of the next investment.

When you start, of course it’s a bit of throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. But when you’ve got 12 months of runway in the bank, it’s time to get strategic. There’s not much time left for messing around.

The analogy applies to sports or gardening. You’re training for the New York Marathon. You begin training 6 months before. If you begin 12 months early, the long runs are a lot easier. Getting ahead saves you ease down the line. 

If you’re a rising junior, that’s where you’re at. It’s time to get strategic. Of course you spend the early years of high school figuring it out. No one has it all figured it out. But now it’s time to double down on your thing, show what you can do with it and be serious.

The more I work with students the more I learn that these things - developing executive function skills, figuring out what you care about, pursuing extracurriculars with genuine dedication - take time. 

I started with my first student Elise when she was an 8th grader and now she’s a senior, graduating next week and starting at Cornell in the fall. Every year, we made progress.

True growth takes time. 

So as summer approaches, first and foremost, please encourage your student to take a break. Relax! Play with friends! Soak up the sunshine. 

But then use summer as a time to be proactive. If math is the class they lack confidence in, use summer as a chance to get ahead and gain confidence heading into the coming school year.

If they have no idea what their interests are and what motivates them, use summer as a forum to figure it out. 

Whether your student wants to get ahead in an academic subject, take their passion project to the next level, or figure out their source of personal motivation in the first place, we’ve got you covered at Curious Cardinals.

What’s up & coming?

• Camp Curious session 1 starts June 17, 2024, so sign up today
• For high schoolers: this is perfect if you have a vague idea of a project or an interest but no concrete game plan at all. You’ll spend one week learning everything from what Ikigai framework is to guide your actions to how to set SMART goals to bring the project vision to fruition. Whether Sports Media Platform or turning your passion into a social impact project, I couldn’t recommend these workshops more as a forum to identify a project and create a game plan to bring it to life.
• For middle schoolers: this is your time to explore! Try different things! Don’t pigeonhole yourself. Our camp curious offerings provide a perfect forum to explore new interests with curious peers led by a passionate, accomplished mentor and culminate the week in a mini deliverable. Think about this as a catalyst for discovering your source of motivation that will fuel you to excel academically and to pursue unique projects.

We've also got some exciting virtual events coming up with advice from our inspiring mentors students can use to plan their own success trajectory. (See our newsletter and socials for details!)

Happy summer! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions- we’re here to help you. :)

Stay Curious,

Curious Cardinals CEO & Co-Founder

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