In August 2024, Georgetown Faces, a storytelling series that celebrates the beloved figures, unsung heroes, and dedicated Hoyas who make our campus special, featured Haroot Hakopian, assistant dean of student affairs in the School of Continuing Studies and the academic and curriculum director of the Summer College Immersion Program (SCIP).
At Georgetown, Hakopian oversees the student experience of the 2,000-some high school students who participate each summer in SCIP, a three-week college preparatory program for rising high school seniors. SCIP students come from the Cristo Rey Network; the KIPP Foundation school systems; and other select schools, networks, and community-based organizations.
Prior to arriving at Georgetown, Hakopian taught high school English and coached soccer for over 30 years before returning to school to pursue a career change. As a graduate student at Vanderbilt University, Hakopian earned a Doctor of Education degree, researching college success and academic outcomes for first-generation and low-income students. In his research, Hakopian found a job opening for the SCIP academic and curriculum director.
“The more I found out about it, the more I fell in love with the program because it’s an incredible experience,” he said.
Hakopian, who still coaches soccer at Churchill High School and the Potomac Soccer Club, recently discussed his dedication to students from underserved backgrounds. The following are excerpts from that discussion:
What made Georgetown stand out: I was well aware of Georgetown’s academic reputation, but then the more I found out about the whole cura personalis idea, that really resonated with me because, going back to my [doctoral program,] the big thing that we talked about was that we’ve shifted to more of a focus on students’ academic and intellectual progression and development. We’ve lost sight of the other factors cura personalis focuses on. It fascinates me because Georgetown has been doing this for such a long time with the whole Jesuit tradition.
Why programs like SCIP matter: I’ve been in secondary education and have helped thousands of students go through with their college application process. I did not realize that there were schools that if you demonstrate need, they will cover 100% of that demonstrated need, including Georgetown. If I didn’t know that, what else is there that the students don’t know, especially this group of students, that we can make available to them that’ll allow them to be successful?
Keep reading to learn more about Haroot Hakopian and his work at the School of Continuing Studies and with the Summer College Immersion Program. >