My experience at AGS has been the best of my life. I have grown both as a person and as an intellectual because of the environment and opportunities presented here. I have made life-long friendships, broadened my mind, and I have gained a new found sense of independence that will no doubt help me in my looming college future. Long live AGS!
I attended the very first AGS. As many others have noted – it was a life changing experience for this small town girl.
AGS was absolutely one of the most fun, enlightening, and constructive events in my entire life. My decision to come to AGS is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I feel that AGS has not only taught me how to become a better thinker but the lessons I’ve learned are priceless. I wish everybody could have the experience that I did this summer.
There’s not enough room to say all AGS has given me. I respect myself and others, but most importantly it’s given me the confidence to go home and tell people that I’m going to make a difference.
Natural Science Jacksonville High School Now: Alpharetta Georgia (North Metro Atlanta) My summer at AGS '86 was a true life event for me. It helped to focus me academically and socially in a number of ways. I will always value that time and the experiences and friendships that were made on campus. It was an honor and a pleasure.
I attended AGS in the area of Instrumental Music. Received my Bachelor’s Degree form UAF in Music Performance, then a Master’s in Business at UW-Madison. Now I am Development Director for the School of Education at UW-Madison and mother to my son John. I loved AGS, and if I move back to AR someday I hope he can go!
AGS was one of the best summers of my life!
AGS was, without a doubt, the formative experience in my life.
AGS rocked my face off! I had an amazing summer of intellectual growth and social interaction. I attribute my working in education today directly to positive experiences that I had that the secondary level. AGS is at the top of the list.
AGS is one of many reasons I will always claim to be a proud Arkansan!
I’m working as a producer in the news division at the Discovery Channel in Silver Spring, MD. The intellectual curiosity sparked so many years ago on the Hendrix campus at AGS still feeds my career and my happiness! I remain so grateful for the experience.
I still credit Governors School as one of the main reasons I’ve been successful!
I came across “Koyaanisqatsi” on Hulu tonight and began to remember how much I loved Governor's School and how it has played a role in shaping my educational and professional career. Thank you!
I attended AGS 1997 as a percussionist in the instrumental music program. In the summer of 1998. I was one of two AR delegates to the National Youth Science Camp. After graduating from Purdue University in 2002 with a BS in Chemical Engineering, I worked for 5 years as a biotech process design engineer for Fluor Corporation. In January of 2007, my wife and I moved to New Zealand, where I am studying for a degree in Audio Production and taking part-time courses in contemporary music (drumset focus).
I attended AGS in the summer of 2001 in the instrumental area playing trombone with the orchestra. After graduating from high school, I attended Arkansas Tech University for two years and then transferred to the University of Central Arkansas to continue working toward my BM in Trombone Performance with Dr. Denis Winter, who just so happened to be the low brass coach at AGS in the summer 2001 session I attended. I graduated from UCA in May 2007, earning my Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance, and have even higher goals. I was offered and have accepted a graduate teaching assistantship to Oklahoma State University to pursue my Master’s Degree I Trombone Performance and Pedagogy beginning this upcoming fall 2007, studying with Mr. Paul Compton. Since leaving AGS in 2001, I have had many great experiences that I owe to AGS. By attending AGS, my decision to pursue music as a career was cemented, and I haven’t looked back! Though I haven’t been in touch with a lot of AGS Student Alumni from my 2001 AGS session, I have maintained working relations with various faculty at AGS whom introduced me to professionalism in music, and for that I am very grateful. Over the past few years, mainly during my study at UCA, I have met and performed with some world class musicians and people, have formed meaningful relationships with UCA Faculty heralding all the way back to AGS, and I have even gotten to travel with the UCA BearBones trombone ensemble to Birmingham, UK during the summer of 2006 for the international trombone festival. Since my first performance playing with orchestra at the AGS session I attended, I realized that music is more to me than just a pastime or hobby; it is a core fundamental to by being and something enjoyable that doesn’t fade. I was very happy with my AGS experience and hope only that many more students will have the pleasure of being immersed in its atmosphere of continual growth. Thanks!
AGS was a life changing experience for me! I met lifelong friends and learned an abundance of lessons that help me every day! I love AGS!!!
I do and will always love the experience I got from AGS. I am now a Senior at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and I can’t wait to graduate! When I look back at my life in high school and my passed years as a college student, I owe AGS for helping me grow into the person I am today. I grew up as a Homeschooler and back when I was in high school, AGS wasn't considered the best idea. I even had a mentor be not so excited when I mentioned attending AGS to him! But despite the negativity, I loved it. And I will always be thankful to the people who put AGS out there for rising young adults. I hope to someday come back and be a staff, but I don't know if my school schedule will allow me to participate. But even if I cannot be a staff member, I continuously mention the amazing experience on the Hendrix Campus.
AGS did a lot of things for me. It gave me new motivation, ideas about my future, friends from across the state, and a way to fill my summer that did not involve sitting on the couch at home. All good things. The greatest gift, however, was the fact that for the first time I was completely and consistently engaged in my environment. As a gifted student, back home in my own small town school, I, all too often, slide by with my mind on autopilot, good grades and test scores requiring not focus nor thought. Governor's School asked something different of me. Presented with new ideas and activities minute by minute, I was required to "tune-in" my mind and actively participate in my environment. I was challenged, my ideas were challenged, and I was asked to rise to a new set of standards that involved more than just sliding through. This is priceless. I cannot express the value of being truly involved. AGS has dusted the cobwebs from my mind, built up from years of nonuse in non-challenging classrooms and discussions. I am now a well-oiled thinking machine, ready to return home and involve myself in my school and community. After all, you only get out what you put in!
I had the time of my LIFE at AGS.
I had a great and exciting time while I was at AGS, and I wish the fun would have never ended!!
AGS has shown me the value of critiquing my own ideals and beliefs while showing me the validity of the views held by others. AGS has sparked a desire in me to explore and discover the world and the people in it. I do not think I will ever forget this experience, and if I do, I believe I will have forgotten myself.
AGS was one of the greatest, most enjoyable and informative experiences of my life. I will never forget the experience, the instructors, or the students that I met during my stay.
AGS is a wonderful institution that resurrected my love for learning.
AGS was by far the coolest, most life-changing experience ever. For real.
This was a wonderful experience for me, and I will never experience anything like it again.
I just got back from AGS, and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had.
I loved AGS, and I hope that many more people have the same opportunity that I had to attend.
Before applying, I thought six weeks would be too long. Now I wish there were more. I've learned more about myself and the world in this six weeks than I could've learned anywhere else. Everyone here showed each other so much love, respect, and kindness. This is an absolute utopia. I was so happy here, and the high expectations I arrived with were far, far exceeded.
AGS has been one of the best experiences of my life so far, and I’m so glad I had the chance to go. Thank you to all the faculty at AGS for making it great!
AGS was one of the best experiences of my life! I learned so much and was opened to so many new things.
I went to AGS for visual art, and I loved it!!
I attended AGS in 2006 in the area of Instrumental Music. AGS was awesome
AGS was a great experience for me. I loved it!
AGS was a life changing experience for me. I hope that everyone else can say the same thing! It will certainly be interesting to see how we all turn out as we go on to college and pursue future families and careers. I hope that we all stay in touch for years to come.
AGS was amazing! I learned so much. Thank GOD for those 6 weeks.
When I went to ASG, I went for Visual Arts. Since then, I have been taking as many art classes as possible!! AGS was the most incredible experience of my life! You know sometimes when you get around your best friends and you get into deep conversations? That’s what AGS was EVERY DAY!! It was so incredible! If I could go back and do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat. Thanks Lyle and all the AGS STAFF!!! I love you ALL!!! J
I really enjoyed my time at AGS. I even miss it. Great experience for me that I will never forget.
Governor’s School was the best six weeks of my life.
I couldn’t have made a better choice than to have spent my Summer at AGS. No other camp, internship, or activity over the Summer would’ve been more fun or near as interesting as AGS. The six weeks I spent at AGS are six weeks I’ll never forget! AGS is where I met my girlfriend Helen, so needless to say AGS is still affecting my life (in a good way)!
I went to AGS for Social Sciences and absolutely loved it!!
I LOVED AGS! It was the best start to my senior year.
AGS was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. That is one summer I will never forget as long as I live. Thanks you so much. The program should never be stopped.
AGS was the greatest experience of my life. I will always remember the things I learned there and cherish the friends and memories I made.
I really liked the Arkansas Governors School program. I met a lot of people there that I will keep in touch with for a long time. I am a hard worker, and I experienced a lot while attending this program.
I love art. I’m currently enrolled in UAFS for Graphic Design while still in high school :) I love AGS for making me the way I am today.
I loved AGS so much and miss it a ton! I hope I get to return soon. Thank you for this wonderful experience.
On a side note, going to AGS was one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my life. Because of going, I have made life long friends, I have matured greatly, and I am motivated to go far in life. If you guys ever need anything in the future, whether it’s a photographer, dancer, whatever, I would be happy to help. Thank you for everything.
AGS was the best summer of my life, and I grew so much from it. I've never felt so much a part of something before. AGS has given me the confidence to be able to step into college life after my senior year, and I'm not longer afraid to be different.
My overall experience at AGS was phenomenal. In a way, it has ruined me for traditional school. At AGS I was given the opportunity to learn for the sake of learning and interest, not for a test, and it is hard to imagine going back to learning for a test only. AGS provided me with a wealth of activities and seminars that introduced me to subjects I had never thought about before and showed me sides of topics that I previously loved but now love even more. The educational aspect of AGS cannot be overstated. I have learned more than I could have imagined, and the impact not only on general knowledge but my overall ability to think critically about all aspects of life is incredibly significant. In terms of social interactions, AGS was invaluable. I learned to live with two roommates and hold meaningful conversations with people I knew little about. I was able to talk in-depth about complicated and controversial issues in an environment where what you said mattered just as much as how you said it and how you structured your argument. My philosophy on the world hasn't necessarily been changed, but I now think much more critically about it and the ideas of others as a whole. I have also met many new friends and people that I want to stay in contact with, and have learned so much from the overall community here. AGS has had a profound impact on me, and I can't wait to carry forward what I have learned.