Is your teen in the Roanoke Valley looking for a summer camp? Join Hollinsummer for an adventure this summer! This pre-college summer program is for young women with interests in everything from creative writing and STEM to social justice and theatre.
Hollinsummer offers high school women the perfect blend of learning, creativity, and fun—all on Hollins University’s beautiful campus in Southwest Virginia from July 12-18, 2026 (second week available for Riding program on July 19-25).
Camps Available
Reflect and Create: Writing Retreat
Dates: July 12-18,2026
Looking for a creative and supportive summer writing program for teens? The Reflect and Create Writing Retreat offers an immersive, weeklong experience designed for high school students who want to strengthen their craft and gain a preview of one of the nation’s top creative writing programs.
During this summer creative writing program, students develop a stronger writing voice across fiction, poetry, and personal narrative. This pre-college writing retreat includes daily writers’ workshops, small-group feedback sessions, and special events with visiting authors giving young writers the tools, mentorship, and inspiration they need to grow.
Register: Reflect and Create
Riders Who Are Going Places
Dates: July 12-18 & July 19–25, 2026
Are you an intermediate or advanced rider looking for a summer equestrian program that challenges you and helps you grow? This weeklong hunter/jumper riding intensive gives students the chance to train with college-level instructors, learn barn management, and deepen their understanding of horse care. Riders work with Hollins horses that are also used by our nationally recognized riding team. As the week concludes, you’ll show off your skills with a Saturday morning showcase and picnic farewell for parents and family members.
Interested students must submit their Hollinsummer application, including the required skills video, by February 1. Students will be assessed and alerted in their placement of Week 1 or Week 2 by March 1. Note that demand for this program typically exceeds capacity; it is likely we will be unable to accommodate all applicants.
Register: Riders Who Are Going Places
Experiment and Explore: Science Seminar
Dates: July 12-18, 2026
Do you have a passion for the sciences? This weeklong research symposium challenges participants to experiment and explore high interest topics in chemistry, and environmental studies. So, whether your future interests lie in ecology, medicine, or engineering, you will gain invaluable experience in a college-level research environment both in the lab and in the field.
Register: Experiment and Explore
Meet the instructors, review course outlines schedules about each program here: https://hollins.edu/academics/hollinsummer/
Business Review
Hollins University’s Hollinsummer program is #15 among the Top 50 Best Pre-College Summer Programs for 2020, according to the college ratings website Value Colleges. “Hollinsummer is the kind of pre-college summer program that can change young women’s lives.”
