Pioneer Research Institute Testimonials

High schoolers, why wait until college to make your mark on the world of knowledge? As a Pioneer Scholar, you can conduct original research that contributes to global understanding. Hear from students and leading educators as they share their experiences with the Pioneer Research Institute.

Experts and Leaders

Francisco J. Tezen
President & CEO, A Better Chance
“Former Pioneer scholar Kennedy would never have considered her dream to earn a PhD in computer science had she not participated in Pioneer, which she learned about through A Better Chance. Kennedy is now working towards her undergraduate degree at Columbia.”

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Matthew Pohl
Former Associate Director of Admissions  University of Pennsylvania and Wharton
“Pioneer is one of very few selective summer undergraduate research opportunities, and that’s something that’s known among college admissions officers at top universities.”

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Warren Berger
Author and Expert on Innovation and Creativity
“Pioneer Academics is on the cutting edge in terms of bringing a higher level of student inquiry into education. I am particularly impressed with the way Pioneer encourages students to tackle big, meaningful questions–and take ownership of those questions.”

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Mary Hetlage
Former Senior Associate Director of Admissions University of Chicago
“The more we saw the quality of the work, Pioneer has become, simply, a trusted entity in the admissions market.”

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Students

A.J.
Pioneer Research alumnus
Cornell, UPenn MD candidate
“Pioneer made me feel like I really did something — like this was my first step in my academic professional career and that it was opening doors for me and for my future career in biological sciences.”
Mohmed
GPSI alumnus
University of Cairo, admitted to NYU
“GPSI pushed my boundaries to tackle complicated challenges. It helped me see the world from different perspectives… I can analyze problems from multiple angles and develop appropriate solutions.”
Maya
Pioneer Research alumna
UPenn, Duke Law
“The Pioneer Research Institute is transformational in that you learn how to interact with professors in a way that you wouldn’t otherwise, and the experience definitely helped me in college.”
Zeynep

Pioneer Scholar Zeynep’s favorite Pioneer experience was talking with her professor which gave her a perspective she couldn’t have accessed through reading textbooks.

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Wanyu

Pioneer scholar Wanyu conducted research in biology and was proud of obtaining a scientist’s mindset after the Pioneer Research Program.

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Talula
University of Southern California
Pioneer scholar Talula, now a pre-law student at USC, shared how having conversations with her Pioneer professor gave her confidence for college.

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Rithi

Pioneer scholar Rithi conducted research in neuroscience, and highlighted the rigorous Pioneer community where she was able to meet other very academically qualified students.

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Rebecca
Stanford University
Pioneer scholar Rebecca, now a student at Stanford, describes how her first research experience in STEM led to pursuing research in music.

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Mahima

Pioneer scholar Mahima, who conducted research in environmental studies, says most crucial learning from her Pioneer experience was effective time management.

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Kayley
University of Virginia
Pioneer scholar Kayley, is now a pre-med student at the University of Virginia, majoring in neuroscience and intending to explore humanities subjects.

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Jeremias
Harvard University
Pioneer scholar Jeremias, now a student at Harvard, is concentrating on neuroscience and government, hoping to understand medical problems and policy solutions.

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Jada

Pioneer scholar Jada, was very thankful for Pioneer opening doors for her to receive guidance from her professor and learn much about college-level research.

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Bailey
UC Berkley
Pioneer scholar Bailey, says her Pioneer experience has been invaluable for her studies at UC Berkeley.

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Annabelle
Emory University
Pioneer scholar Annabelle, loves hands-on problems, whether engineering or fix-it. She is now studying engineering sciences at Emory University.

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Alexis
California Institute of Technology
Pioneer scholar Alexis, now a student at Caltech, says Pioneer gave her the confidence to ‘teach myself advanced concepts and interact with professors’.

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