Join LeadQuests Summer Experience and Transform Your Future!
Colleges and employers seek driven, proactive individuals. While meaningful actions showcase your potential, they can go unnoticed without a standout portfolio. LeadQuests offers a unique, project-based program that helps you turn innovative ideas into tangible outcomes, building a portfolio with profound learning and depth from day one.
Kickstart your future with LeadQuests Summer Experience. Document your growth and achievements, creating a proven track record that will impress college admissions and future employers. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your skills and set yourself apart! Get ahead with your LeadQuests Portfolio!
Why LeadQuests Summer Experience
Gain an Advantage for College Admissions
Launch ahead your LeadQuests portfolio by developing projects that showcase your abilities, passions, and potential to make a real-world impact.
Get Future-Ready with 21st Century Meta-skills
The future hinges on human skills, not technology. Cultivate meta-skills that enhance other skills, crucial for thriving in a rapidly evolving world.
Explore. Expand. Excel beyond Walls
Discover your true potential & interests through hands-on projects and learning the perspectives of successful role models in our outside-the-box learning environment.
Build Long-lasting & Meaningful Connections
Access to a high-quality community of peers, mentors, and successful role models for valuable perspectives & guidance.
Our program
Cohort-based learning to kickstart your portfolio: The curriculum focuses on meta-skills like critical thinking, communication and self-awareness. The project gets you to hands-on exposure of applying technology skills to build products for the community.
15+
hours of engaging instruction and hands-on practice on 21st century most essential skills.
8
sessions featuring instruction and mentorship from international experts and practitioners.
1
group project delivering concrete results, closely guided by an expert mentor with a 5:1 student-to-mentor ratio.
The project
This summer, LeadQuests participants will enhance their leadership skills through a dynamic design project centered on the theme “What is Happiness?”. They will create impactful solutions that promote happiness within themselves and their community, collaborating with experienced mentors. Here are some examples:
- Develop a simple a Mental Health Diagnostic Toolkit for high school students to self-assess their mental health and find resources.
- Conduct a Community Happiness Survey to gauge the happiness levels in their community and present the findings along with suggestions for improvement.
Methods of Delivery
Each week, you will have project goals and deadlines that encompass both individual and group tasks.
Weekly sessions with Project Mentors provide opportunities for feedback, discussion, and resolution of obstacles, alongside hands-on guidance on technical tasks.
Live event in Ho Chi Minh City, providing a stage for students to display your final projects. This is an opportunity for you to show off the skills and knowledge you’ve developed in the presence of your peers and industry mentors.
The Learning
The four interconnected modules for developing essential knowledge and skills for effective project work are:
- Module 1: Self-Awareness: What is Happiness To You?
- Module 2: Design Thinking 1: Life Design
- Module 3: Design Thinking 2: Entrepreneurial Solution Design
- Module 4: The Art of Giving & Receiving Feedback
- Bonus: Workshop on college application led by Former Ivy League Admissions Officer
Methods of Delivery
Familiarise yourself with college-style learning by engaging in self-study through video lectures and interactive guides before class.
Twice a week interactive seminars led by Course Leaders enhance and broaden your understanding, allowing you to apply what you’ve learned to new scenarios through discussion and collaborative activities.
Engage in discussions and learn from prominent industry leaders to exchange insights and perspectives on the topics covered in the course.
Learning Modules
Description:
Students often feel overwhelmed and "lost" with choices about college, careers, and personal happiness. This module takes students on a deep dive into self-discovery to enhance their understanding of themselves and their ability to lead. Students will explore what makes them happy, identify what brings them sadness, and uncover their fundamental values through structured reflection. This journey is designed to boost self-awareness and prepare students to lead a rewarding life and motivate others.
Learning Outcomes:
- Discover what is your WHY?
- Explain what self-awareness is and what it looks like.
- Understand why self-awareness is crucial for personal well-being and effective leadership.
- Practice self-reflection to determine sources of joy and fulfilment, clarifying the core values that shape decisions and life satisfaction.
- Learn and apply self-reflection techniques, such as journaling, to continue growing in self-awareness.
Description:
Drawing inspiration from Stanford’s Designing Your Life course, this module introduces design thinking as a tool to address life’s complex challenges, combining personal growth with professional goals. Students will participate in seminar-style discussions, hands-on exercises, and reflective activities, all through the lens of design thinking to harmonize work and personal goals.
Learning Outcomes:
- Utilize design thinking to tackle personal and professional challenges, treating life as a series of design problems.
- Apply ideation techniques to explore varied life pathways and craft innovative solutions.
- Develop prototypes for personal life plans that match individual ambitions, enhancing balance and vitality.
- Craft an initial “Odyssey Plan” to outline practical steps for personal and career growth in the coming years.
Description:
Building on Design Thinking Part 1, this course advances students’ skills by applying design thinking to develop solutions and products for others. Through case studies and projects—including a simple task of using design thinking to create a targeted report and a comprehensive master project—students will design user-centered solutions that meet real-world needs.
Learning Outcomes:
- Design surveys and interview questions to understand, clarify, and validate user behaviors and needs.
- Apply ideation techniques to explore various solutions to user needs.
- Create a basic prototype for the master project, then refine the design based on empathy and user feedback.
Description:
This course boosts your growth potential by harnessing the power of feedback. It explores psychological principles that promote open communication, resilience, and ongoing improvement. The skills learned are applicable across various relationships, from personal interactions with family and friends to teamwork in professional settings.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand how people perceive and react to feedback, and how to use this knowledge for more effective communication.
- Master the Four-Part Formula to provide clear, specific, and actionable feedback.
- Learn to accept feedback gracefully and use it to foster personal and professional development.
- Cultivate a culture of feedback.
Role-play as admissions officers evaluating sample portfolios and applications in a interactive workshop providing insider tips for highlighting experiences and skills to get your dream college’s attention.
Get valuable insights & mentorship from our
growing team of world-class industry practitioners
Spencer Ton
Co-organizer | Mentor
Sam Jeong
Co-organizer | Mentor | Instructor
Brian S. Lee
Instructor
An Luong
Guest Speaker
Tara Doan Ngoc Hill
Guest Speaker
Chris Zhu
InstructorAgenda
Week 0
Onboard
Meet & Greet | Fireside Chat
Week 1 & Week 2
Project
Focus
- Week 1: Empathize & Define the Problem
- Week 2: Ideate & Prototype a Solution
Schedule
- Mondays & Thursdays (1-1.5 hours/day) | Mentor-led Project Session
- Remaining days of the week | Self-paced individual & group tasks
Learning
Focus
- Week 1: Explore Yourself (Self-Awareness & Life Design modules)
- Week 2: Explore the World (Entrepreneurial Design Thinking & The Art of Feedback modules)
Schedule
- Wednesdays & Fridays 10 – 11.30 AM | Live Virtual Seminars
- Saturdays (1.5 hours) | Fireside Chats with Industry Leaders
- Remaining days of the week | Self-paced learning & assessments with feedback
Week 3
Project
Focus
- Week 3: Test & Iterate
- Project Recap on LeadQuests Portfolio
Schedule
- Monday & Thursday (1-1.5 hours/day) | Mentor-led Project Session
- Remaining days of the week | Self-paced individual & group tasks
Learning
Focus
- Project Showcase
- Workshop on College Application
- LeadQuests Program Evaluation: Students’ Focus Group
Schedule
- Saturday 9 AM – 4PM | Demo Day