ICS Summer Academy 2025 Inspires Bright Young Minds

While many Southern California high school students spend the summer relaxing at the beach, some spend their time on the UC Irvine campus diving deep into challenging computing concepts at the UC Irvine ICS Summer Academy.

The two-week college preparatory camps offered high school students an immersive learning experience with an innovative curriculum designed by academic pioneers and industry partners. The mornings featured lectures by professors from the UC Irvine Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS), and the afternoons focused on practical labs. Students collaborated with their peers and faculty advisors to apply classroom knowledge to hands-on, real-world projects.

For Session 1, students chose to focus on Data Analytics, Cryptography and Security or Software Engineering. For Session 2, students selected Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Software Application Design or Data Analytics. At the end of each two-week session, student groups proudly presented their capstone projects to their families, peers and faculty.

In its fourth year, the program continues to expand. Since its launch, ICS Summer Academy has successfully grown from just one course to six courses, with plans to offer six again next summer. “We started this program in 2022 and we had 22 students,” said Magda El Zarki, Director of ICS Summer Academy and ICS professor. “Now we have 96 students per session [almost 200 in total].” This year’s program included guest lectures and demonstrations from ICS faculty such as Dr. Stacy Branham, Dr. Sven Koenig, Dr. Pierre Baldi, and Dr. Peter Krapp — offering students a glimpse of where their interests can take them.

Julie Lindo, Director of Outreach of the Office of Outreach, Access and Inclusion, explained more about the ICS Summer Academy: “Programs like ours are essential because they give high school students access to academic experiences they may not otherwise find in their schools — especially those interested in computing and technology. Whether it’s due to limited course offerings or packed school-year schedules, many students simply don’t get the opportunity to dive deeply into these subjects. At the ICS Summer Academy, we provide that two-week intensive immersion — and more. Students connect with world-class UC Irvine faculty, Ph.D. researchers, and undergraduates, all while gaining a sense of what college life is like. They leave not only with new technical skills, but with mentors, confidence, and a sense of possibility.”

Lindo added, “Each year, we aim to make the Academy accessible to all students. This summer, 28% of our students received scholarships, thanks to support from Pacific Life and other private donors. We also provide free roundtrip transportation from North Orange County to ensure students can attend regardless of transportation barriers.”

Keeping Computing Fun

Marios Papaefthymiou, ICS dean, remarked, “We started this program as a way to put some joy back into computing. This is meant to be an opportunity for high schoolers to engage with computing and play in an instructive environment, an equal environment.”

The approach resonated with students. Many attended last year’s program and excitedly returned this year, some even choosing to attend both sessions. They found not only new skills and knowledge but also formed new friendships.

“One of my favorite things about the ICS Summer Academy was being with like-minded students who are very interested in these subjects,” said Waqas Islam, eleventh grade student and returning participant. “It’s good to break into these subjects like AI, data analytics. These are really hard things, but I was able to benefit from these classes.”

Nathaniel Mbatha, ninth grade student at University High School, said, “This is my favorite session – making a filtering app for Instagram – because it extends the creativity. And we’re able to make our own designs. One thing that surprised me is that in making an app, there are so many different parts that I had no idea about. So much stuff is going on behind the scenes. It has opened my mind to see there are so many things that I can learn about for software development. I’m going to use it a lot in the future.”

Eman Alturki, rising senior at National Schools in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, especially appreciated the ICS faculty. “I really, really love the professor. He is such a fun person to be around. Even outside of class, I sometimes talk to him while we’re walking to lunch. I understand his references, and he likes to add a simple story related to his explanation. And it just makes me get what he’s saying even more, especially because English wasn’t my first language to begin with. The professor’s name is Michael Shindler.”

Sophie Alguilera, rising junior at Samueli Academy and returning Summer Academy participant, said, “I really like how the teachers are able to explain things thoroughly and that there’s many college students that come and help you out as well. I like the software engineering course a lot. I like that, since I want to go into computer science and programming, specifically, coding, it’s able to tell us about the different steps for software engineering. And it also makes it a little easier for people that are beginners to grasp the idea.”

Carson Lv, rising sophomore at Northwood High School, said, “I was very surprised and impressed. I came into this with mostly cryptographic experience and knowledge. And when I came into the program, I was sort of concerned. I don’t have much programming experience. How would it end up turning out? And I’m just really impressed that I was able to actually learn a lot. This really helped me branch out and learn more about what was around me. It was an opportunity that I really looked forward to taking.”

Participant Elias David Campos summed up his experience: “I felt excited and challenged every single day. It was intense at times but in the best possible way. I had the opportunity to apply what I love: coding and AI/ML to real-world problems, all while being taught by UCI faculty. What made it even better was the community. I met people who are just as passionate as I am, and I felt supported and inspired by the entire UCI Summer Academy staff. I am more certain than ever that I want to pursue a career in Computer Science with focus in AI/ML. This experience transformed me.”

A Taste of College Life

One of the benefits of ICS Summer Academy is the location on the UC Irvine campus, which many students appreciated. “I think coming here is really useful if you need to get a taste of the college experience, which is very different from the high school experience,” said Kenji Schroeder, sophomore at Valencia High School, who attended both sessions.

“I didn’t know the UCI campus, so being able to attend this program gave me a really good insight into what college campus life would be like,” said Waqas Islam. “And I also was able to meet a lot of the students. So I’m very glad I was able to experience campus life here through ICS Summer Academy.”

Sophie Alguilera shared, “It’s given me insight into how teachers or professors might be in college, and it’s a little different from high school. But I think by having these programs, I’ll be a little more ready for when I make the switch from high school to college. Many of the students are really nice, and they’re very accepting since everybody’s in the same program. We’re able to find a common interest.”

Calvin Lv relished the college experience: “I really enjoy the schedule and the activities that they have in this program. I think this program is really tight knit. It promotes team collaboration. We have a bunch of activities right after lunch. Like we go down to the park. We also had a campus tour of UCI, which I think is one of the best campuses in the country – I’ve been to a lot. And then we also had a field trip to an Esports center, which was really, really fun.”

An extra bonus: Many students rave about the food at Brandywine, a popular campus cafeteria. “The lunch area is basically heaven for all of the students here,” said Eman Alturki.

Parents See Their Children Thrive

Many parents find ICS Summer Academy extremely valuable for their children. They appreciate the rigorous curriculum. But they also value that what students learn extends beyond technological knowledge, like collaboration and confidence.

Eerum Islam watched her son, Waqas Islam, gain more than practical knowledge. He attended last year and returned this year. “Oh, it’s had a really good effect,” she said. “The first thing is the confidence building. Before, he hesitated, he had some social problems, but when I saw his presentation, I thought, ‘Oh my god, this is amazing!’ He was so confident, and he was talking and giving answers without any hesitation. I’m happy that my kid is building his confidence.”

Marium Islam, a student at Fullerton College, was also impressed by the level of rigor her brother was learning as a high school student: “I think it helps prepare them for postgraduation, like a master’s or a PhD, because I’ve noticed in that presentation, they used graphs, they used coefficients, math. And the way they analyzed it, it’s very similar to the college paper and college journals that I see when I’m researching for an essay.”

Eerum Islam is also especially grateful to her son’s faculty advisors. She said that one recognized her son was quite advanced and suggested looking into graduating from high school a year early. “I had no idea about that,” she said. And with some guidance, her son finished high school in the eleventh grade. Now he’s ready for college.

Ghislaine Marion-Landais was particularly moved by her son, Sebastion Elguera’s, enthusiasm: “Every time he comes home, he’s so excited about everything that he’s learned. He shares everything that he’s learning. There are so many different programs to choose from. But I think UCI especially has a great computer science program. And this is actually the school that my son would love to go to. It’s just renowned in regard to the professors and the different careers they offer within computer science.”

She added, “I can’t say enough good things about ICS Summer Academy! The program director, Julie Lindo, does a great job at putting it all together for the students. And I just feel like it’s a good balance for them how it comes about: the school, the professors, the people in charge of putting it all together. They do a great job!”

Carolina and Pedro Campos, parents of Elias David Campos, also expressed their appreciation for ICS Summer Academy: “Our son learned key technical concepts like data analytics, classification methods, neural networks, applications of AI, reinforced linear regression, R programming, and he took his Python skills to the next level. Just as importantly, he grew personally. He made new friends, strengthened his teamwork abilities, and worked on impactful capstone projects. It was amazing to see him so inspired, diving into these real-world challenges with enthusiasm and curiosity. He was fully immersed in the experience from start to finish.

“We want to sincerely thank Julie Lindo, Director of Outreach, Lorraine Villegas, Dr. Magda El Zarki, Professor Michael Shindler, Professor Ines Levin, and the entire ICS Summer Academy team for inspiring our son every single day. Thank you for giving high school students the opportunity to explore real-world problems, work alongside university faculty, discover new reasons to keep pursuing careers in STEM, and for creating such a meaningful experience.

“We are grateful for the impact you have made in our son’s life and in the lives of so many young students. This is the kind of program that can change the course of a student’s future in STEM.”

Lindo summarized, “One of the most rewarding parts of this work is seeing students walk away with a life-changing experience. Whether it’s finding their voice in a classroom, connecting with a mentor, or simply feeling like they belong in a college space — that transformation is what makes this program so special.”

Learn more about ICS Summer Academy.

Watch Summer Academy students share their favorite things about ICS Summer Academy (on Instagram).

– Tonya Becerra