A Family Legacy

Laura and Landon Olson are a mother-son duo who both attended HSI. Laura attended in 1991 and Landon followed her in 2024. Both had meaningful experiences at camp and hope this can be an ongoing family tradition. Laura earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing with a minor in German and graduated from the Honors Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  She pursued a Master’s in Counseling from Denver Seminary. As a Wyoming Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Laura has focused on Advising and Career Counseling with undergraduate students. Landon is wrapping up his high school career this year and looking forward to college.

Below you will see the questions we asked Laura and Landon along with their answers. Some questions were addressed to both and some only to an individual. The individual questions are labeled.

How you first heard about it?  

Laura: I heard from friends in upper classes that they had been and enjoyed it. 

Landon: My mom went and encouraged me to look into the opportunity. 

What made you decide to apply and attend HSI?  

Laura:  My high school counselor recommended me and it sounded like an  awesome opportunity, so I applied.

Landon: I was looking into various summer programs and HSI stood out as a good  opportunity to get to college like experience, fun activities, and the chance to meet  people from all across the state. 

Questions for Laura specifically:

Why should students consider applying for HSI for this upcoming summer?  

Students should apply to explore college life and subjects.  We ask teenagers to choose majors, careers, and programs to study right out of high school, however, they often have not had the opportunity to be exposed to or explore a variety of subjects and interests; or look at subjects to study from different perspectives.  HSI allows students to do just that - experience truly unique classes, explore new topics, and learn from different people and perspectives. 

What was HSI like back in 1990s—how do you remember the culture, opportunities, or challenges?  

It was very exciting to get to be on campus and take college like classes. The  classes encouraged me to think about things differently.  For example, in one class,  we talked about advertising and literature, and were encouraged to identify stereotypes, question whether what was being communicated was accurate and true and this was back in the 90s, before smartphones and social media apps even existed. 

One challenge was being with all the same people for the three weeks. We had to  learn interpersonal communication and navigate group dynamics.  Our small  groups were more like small group counseling sessions; introspective, deep, and  personal.  

And that was also one of the greatest gifts!  By getting to know people so well, over  those three weeks and we got to keep in touch throughout the rest of our high  school years and connect at sports competitions, Girl's State and other events.   Thankfully, the advent of social media apps has allowed us to reconnect as adults  as well.

What does it mean to you for your family to carry this HSI legacy?  

Although Landon and I had different experiences at HSI being different people and  in different eras, it is exciting to have a shared experience together.  Although  some things have changed, the overall goal of community, college life, and  intellectual engagement was the core of both of our experiences.  I was very excited  to share this experience with Landon (and hope to with his younger sister too)!  It  was an impactful experience for me and I am thankful it was for him too. 

What advice would you give to parents who are considering letting their child apply/attend HSI?    

Encourage them to try! HSI is a unique experience because it brings students from  all different backgrounds and interests together.  Sometimes, in the high school  years teens become siloed in particular sports, subject areas or clubs.  HSI pools  kids from all of these areas to get to know each other, work together on community  service and truly have a glimpse into what college could be like. 

Questions for Landon specifically:

How do you think HSI in 2024 was different from what your mom experienced?  

HSI was different for me because it was easier to connect with people. While we were at HSI we probably interacted in a similar way with our peers. It has been easy for me to keep up with people from HSI even a year afterwards. 

Based off your mom’s experience, what were you expecting from HSI and how did it surprise you?  

I expected HSI to be a great way to meet people from around the state as well as provide an introduction into college coursework. It surprised me that while the classes were challenging, they were really fun and I gained a lot of valuable information that I still know. 

How do you think HSI impacted your view of colleges as you think about continuing your education or exploring life beyond high school?  

HSI has made me feel less stressed about going to college. The classes and structure of camp felt similar to how I imagine college being. It also gave me a chance to practice meeting new people in an unfamiliar place. 

We loved hearing from Laura and Landon about their experiences with HSI. While there are some differences from HSI in the 90s and now, the overall experience is the same. We're excited to continue hearing family stories and legacies with HSI.