Program Information
Summer Academy
Arguably the most impactful component of Tiger Alliance is our summer residential program. Students come to Clemson’s campus, stay overnight and engage in a variety of academic, professional and social activities. The combination of living in the residence hall, attending classes and navigating campus simulates the college experience for our students. Many participants will leave summer academy more excited and prepared to attend college.
Summer academy is mandatory for all Tiger Alliance members and typically takes place in June. Students come to campus by cohort (rising sophomores, rising juniors, etc.) and stay for six days and five nights. During summer academy, you’ll have the opportunity to attend a myriad of different classes that challenge you to think critically, collaborate with your peers and stretch your understanding of the world. We’ll take field trips to different colleges and companies and have a number of guest lectures that will expose you to various career opportunities. But the summer isn’t all about work – you’ll also get to have fun! Past activities have included bowling, swimming, team-building activities, rock climbing, water slides, basketball, soccer, talent shows and much more!
Mentoring
All Tiger Alliance members benefit from a mentoring relationship with a Tiger Alliance Ambassador. Ambassadors are current college students who assist TA staff in reaching our programmatic goals. While many of them are Clemson students, you do not have to be enrolled at Clemson to be a Tiger Alliance Ambassador. We have had Ambassadors from Tri-County Technical College, Greenville Technical College, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Alabama A&M University and the University of Georgia. Find more information about becoming a TA Ambassador.
Ambassadors establish mentoring relationships with TA participants and serve in an older brother/favorite cousin capacity. They often are able to have more frank conversations with students about academics and life, taking advantage of the smaller age gap between the two groups. Our ambassadors are thoroughly trained to build rapport with our students and set firm boundaries to keep the relationship friendly, not friend-like. Our ambassadors remain a unique and integral component of our program and set Tiger Alliance apart from other college access programs at Clemson and across the state. Ambassador duties include:
- Meeting with students during school visits.
- Leading workshops and individual sessions with students.
- Accompanying students during college fairs and campus visits.
- Offering insight and advice about college life and the application/school selection process.
- Staying overnight with students during Summer Academy.
- Attending the Men of Color National Summit with our students, helping students decide which sessions to join and debriefing with them afterwards.
- Monthly meetings with students in small-group settings to go over our virtual curriculum.
- Answering any questions students have about college, high school and everything in between.
