Emerging Scholars Academy

First year students can join the Emerging Scholars Academy and become part of a learning community cohort.

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ESA is a nine-day intensive summer bridge program of 30 first time freshman students that are cohorted during their first year at UAF. Students engage in a fun learning community that includes:

Summer bridge: Aug. 11-20, 2025

Early move in to campus housing (August 8-10, 2025)
- Exclusive ESA Living Learning Community
FREE personalized math prep and research course
Behind the scenes tours of campus
Exciting outdoor Alaska field trip
- Ride the train from Denali National Park & Preserve to ��ix��
Friendships and support that can last throughout your time at UAF and beyond

Fall semester

FREE cohorted Class (GER)
FREE cohorted College Success Skills Course
- Embedded tutoring & teaches key strategies for academic success

Spring semester

FREE cohorted Class (GER)

Living Learning Community

Want to move into your dorm room two weeks early, make friends that will last throughout your time at UAF and take free courses taught by handpicked instructors? The SSS Emerging Scholars Academy is a Living Learning Community that sets you up for success in your first year of college.

Learn more about ESA Living Learning Community

ESA contacts

Misti Hopkins

Lead Advisor

mlhopkins2@alaska.edu | 907-474-6404

Learn more about Misti Hopkins

Misti Hopkins is currently coordinating the Student Support Services Emerging Scholars Academy and is a SSS Classic Advisor. She is the former UAF North Star Middle College Coordinator helping roll out a new high school on the UAF campus. As the former I-AC Upward Bound Program Manager and Academic Coordinator, she worked closely with college-bound students at Effie Kokrine Charter School and Lathrop High School and spent several weeks off grid with them at Howard Luke's Spirit Camp each summer for five years. She also oversaw I-AC's National Science Foundation Gaalee'ya STEM Project. She worked for the ��ix�� North Star Borough School District Alaska Native Education Program in four elementary schools as a Cultural Liaison and taught kindergarten and 5th grade at Fairhill. She began her time in ��ix�� in 2006 as a Development Director for Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) where she implemented the AmeriCorps Summer of Service program. Her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with a focus in Management and minors in Sociology and English from Appalachian State University have been beneficial in her work in the education field. She grew up at Fort Bragg in North Carolina as a military dependent with her family roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains of SW Virginia, where her grandparents were farmers and coal miners. Her mom was a first generation college student at Radford University and her family has now been transformed through their educational pursuits. She is a mom to a UAF senior and Barnette Magnet School student.

Eligibility

You qualify if you meet the following criteria:

Incoming first-year student for upcoming fall semester
Intend to enroll in a
Place into WRTG 111X (preferred)
Join the Student Support Services program
Plan to attend UAF in person for upcoming fall semester

Cost

There is ZERO cost to the student! ESA is a federally funded program offered exclusively by Student Support Services.

How to Get Involved

Step 1: Apply for Student Support Services
Step 2: Apply for Emerging Scholars Academy
Step 3: Apply for housing through UAOnline and select our ESA LLC

What ESA Covers

Save more than $2,000 in tuition!
Earn eight to nine free credits, including .
Move in early to on campus housing starting from the first day of ESA (early move-in is pro-rated).
Make friends that can last throughout your entire college career!

Timeline


Student Checklist
Be admitted to UAF for fall semester
Complete
Apply for SSS
Apply for ESA
Participate in ESA nine-day intensive

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Services