College visits during high school are promoted often, but usually, these are just day trips. However, many don’t know about a program that offers week-long summer trips to students all over Pennsylvania.
PFEW is short for Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week. During this five-day week, students will stay on the campus of one of two colleges: Lycoming College or Penn College of Technology both located in Williamsport, PA.
Students will be placed alongside others to form their own entirely student-run company during this time with a mentor as a guide. This company will create a product and compete against others. The company is made up of two parts, the marketing team and the finance team, each will work towards creating a presentation for the final day.
The WSJ interviewed a PFEW graduate, Makayla Singh, who participated in the fourth week of the 2024 year. She attended Penn College of Technology and was chief of marketing for her company. The products they created were reversible hats.
When asked what her favorite part of the trip was, she stated, “All of the speaker presentations, I actually enjoyed it way more than planning more of the company stuff.” She even mentioned one guest speaker, in particular, David J. Flood. Makayla states how he “made her cry” with his emotionally driven speech.
Just like college, all students have to provide resources for themselves, such as toothpaste, blankets, and pillows. Makalya told the WSJ, “I forgot my pillow, so I had to doordash one. That was a very interesting experience. I was sleeping with a bag of clothes for like two days, but it was awesome,” so make sure to come fully prepared.
Makalya also mentioned that, since it’s so similar to going to college, “you meet a bunch of people that you would have never thought to meet before.” The door to meeting people outside of the regular classroom is wide open. “I had met people who lived two hours in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, I already lived two hours from Williamsport.”
If a student has a busy summer schedule, don’t worry! PFEW offers 4 separate weeks for students interested in going.
Week 1 – June 29 – July 4
Week 2 – July 6 – July 11
Week 3 – July 20 – July 25
Week 4 – July 27 – Aug 11
“I would say that even though PFPW was kind of expensive, at least for me, it was a great experience. I think everyone should go.” As PFEW says, “One week this summer can change everything.”
If interested, upcoming juniors and seniors can apply today, at www.pfew.org!
