Testing the waters: Summer camps introduce students to campus life

From summer campers to standout students, Andie D’Amico, Ellary Hackworth, Andrew Dillard and Reagan Atkins have each carved their own path at Auburn. D’Amico is thriving in speech pathology while staying active in theatre, set to graduate in December. Hackworth is on track to finish her engineering degree, now with a business engineering technology minor. She serves as a student liaison for the Society of Women Engineers and a Cupola Ambassador. Dillard, a fellow Ambassador, is conducting research in model-based systems engineering and is active in the International Council on Systems Engineers student chapter. Atkins is spending the summer interning with Radiance Technologies, earning two certifications and preparing to begin Auburn’s Accelerated Master’s Program this fall. 

Their stories underscore the enduring impact of our summer outreach, not just as a recruiting tool, but as the beginning of each student’s Auburn story.

See for yourself how the summer experience put them on course.

Testing the waters

Reagan Atkins attended a one-day camp and was sold on Auburn and industrial and systems engineering.

Andrew Dillard and Ellary Hackworth went to a different one-day camp offered by the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and found their way to campus.

Andie D’Amico had nearly decided on the Plains until she spent a week at  Musical Theatre Camp.

Auburn’s colleges offer several summer opportunities for high school students to experience everything the university has to offer. These outreach efforts have become successful recruiting tools.

Experience it

A native of Decatur, Alabama, Atkins said she had been considering engineering as a major and was intrigued with the idea of computer engineering since she took coding classes at Austin High School.

The Auburn Engineering Summer Expo allowed her to explore all engineering majors and participate in hands-on activities. That’s how she knew her future.

“The camp provided clarity,” Atkins said. “Industrial and systems engineering resonated with me due to its emphasis on organization, problem-solving and process improvement. And then, touring the Lean Manufacturing Lab — known as the Lego Lab — and gaining insights into the major helped me decide.”

Atkins found her first year on the Plains to be “immensely fulfilling.” She fully embraced the student experience by residing in the Engineering Residential Learning Community, engaging with the Honors College, collaborating with 100+ Women Strong, joining the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, attending Auburn United Methodist Church, participating in Wesley Foundation bible studies and attending various sporting events.

Because she participated in the dual enrollment program in high school, Atkins is in her junior year, allowing her to take her first industrial engineering classes.

Engineer for a day

Dillard and Hackworth attended the Senior Engineering Showcase and got “to feel what it’s like to be an Auburn Engineering student for the day.”

Dillard, a graduate of Huntsville High School, said he attended the camp as “a chance to further explore the different fields and options I had when deciding my future career.

“This camp did exactly that, allowing me to dip my toes into what each engineering major is, how it applies to the real world and what my Auburn experience might look like,” he said.

Since Dillard “always bled orange and blue,” attending Auburn was basically inevitable. Camp not only confirmed it as the right choice, but more importantly, it helped him decide on a major — or at least two possibilities.

He started his first year in aerospace engineering but changed to industrial and systems engineering. Had it not been for his camp experience, though, Dillard said he would not have considered either major.

Outside of class, Dillard found YoungLife and the Oaks Retreat, a community ministry for incoming first-year students, which he said had the most positive impact on his initial year of college.

“While engineering is rigorous, I believe that those who are willing to work hard and surround themselves with a proper fellowship of like-minded friends will find that engineering is incredibly rewarding,” he explained. “At the end of the day, we are pushing the boundaries of innovation for the next generation of thinkers and inventors. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?”

Hackworth, a native of Kennesaw, Georgia, wasn’t as certain as Dillard about a future here until she visited campus.

After that, “it was a no-brainer that this was the place for me,” she admitted. Hackworth had already registered for the Senior Engineering Showcase before she visited just to get exposed to engineering as a possible college major.

“But once I came to campus, it was the only place that felt like home. I knew then that if camp went well, Auburn was my future home,” she said.

And camp went well. Hackworth called it “an amazing opportunity” to become familiar with campus and downtown and — maybe most importantly — get to know some of the faculty and staff in Engineering. By establishing relationships with people in admissions, Hackworth said she could ask questions during the admissions process. 

Meeting representatives of each engineering department and seeing hands-on examples of each is exactly what Hackworth needed to confirm it was the right place for her, and industrial and systems engineering would be her major.

Once on campu, Hackworth learned about the one thing that no other university has — the Auburn Family. The support she received from across campus confirmed she made the right choose for college.

“I think it speaks volumes of the Auburn Family at how welcome I felt here,” she said. “Even though I was surrounded by new people in a new place, it felt like home. I never wanted to leave or wished things had happened differently.”

Classes are often challenging enough, but add commitments to a sorority and different clubs, and the whole thing can be overwhelming for a first-year student. Hackworth said she juggles it all by maintaining good study habits and an organized schedule.

Acting it out

D’Amico considered her camp experience as a “test drive” for Auburn. 

“By the time I got to camp, I had already pretty much decided that I was going to come here,” she said. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know the staff and the department and make sure it would be a good fit for me.

“Everyone I met was so encouraging and reinforced my choice to attend and study theatre.”

This plan worked well for D’Amico, a graduate of Bob Jones High School in Madison, Alabama, until this fall. She started double majoring in theatre and speech pathology, but is now only majoring in speech pathology. She will graduate with a minor in theatre, however.

“The decision was easier knowing there was a team of professors and students in theatre and dance who wanted me to succeed in all my endeavors,” she said. “I can still take theatre classes that pique my interest and grow my skills while pursuing a new degree. I truly appreciate the support as I pursue my dreams.”