Program Assistants
Guiding and Inspiring our Students!
Mentors Drive Learning & Help You Find Your Own Best Thinking
Spencer Lenfield is a former Great Books Program Assistant and is now a postdoctoral associate at Harvard, starting as a professor in the fall. Spencer embodies our goal of creating a welcoming place to communicate a love of ideas.
Exceptional Role Models & Mentors
Mentors Drive Learning & Help You Find Your Own Best Thinking
Spencer Lenfield is a former Great Books Program Assistant and is now a postdoctoral associate at Harvard, starting as a professor in the fall. Spencer embodies our goal of creating a welcoming place to communicate a love of ideas.
Program Assistants (PAs) at Great Books Summer Program are the adult leaders who are there 24/7 to help students with daily camp life, inspire their intellectual journey, build group camaraderie, lead evening discussions, organize fun activities, and facilitate a wonderful experience for everyone! Each PA is assigned to group of 6-8 students.
We carefully select PAs based upon their academic excellence, intellectual enthusiasm, outgoing personalities, maturity, and experience in working with younger people. Our PAs hail from schools such as Notre Dame, Purdue, Stanford, University of Chicago, Yale, Amherst College, Cal State, Williams College, Boston University, and Vassar. Our PAs include Rhodes Scholars, Fulbright Scholars, and PhD students!
In addition to a shared love of literature, they bring diverse talents and expertise to the program. We have Greek scholars, philosophy majors, blossoming novelists, guitar players, rugby stars, debate team members, artists, and musicians. Many of our PAs are returning to Great Books for their second, third, and even fourth summers. We’re delighted to have such a talented staff of both experienced counselors and fresh new talent on all of our campuses.
The scholarly distinction and outstanding character of Great Books Program Assistants give students the guidance they need to thrive and parents the peace of mind they deserve!
The pod leader Anna was a shining star and we are all forever changed by her kindness, incredible intellect, and natural leadership with the girls. Anna is a talented literary role model and we hope she returns next year!
The leaders were some of the nicest people I had ever met. They were always so ready to work and support us, always with a smile on their face.
