Senior Cella Wright went to the Mixe region of Oaxaca, Mexico for eight weeks this past summer with the organization Amigos de las Americas.

“It was incredibly refreshing to be so far out of my comfort zone – around no familiar faces, being challenged to take initiative, test my language skills and reach out to connect with strangers,” Wright said.

Wright is one of an increasing number of students ditching Netflix marathons, awkward visits to relatives’ houses, day trips to Stinson and minimum wage jobs to explore educational, immersion and adventure-based summer programs for high school students. These programs vary in length ranging from one week to two months, and students can find programs that take place at colleges across the U.S. or internationally.

Organizations such as Amigos, Rustic Pathways and Global Earth offer community service, language and travel-based programs in countries around the world. These programs put a strong focus on helping others, improving ethnic awareness, connecting with people from around the world and exploring a new country.

Senior Stella Resta went to India with Rustic Pathways on a program called Children of India. Resta spent the majority of her nine-day stay in Jaipur, India teaching and playing with young children at an orphanage, along with visiting local restaurants and markets. “I’ve always loved traveling and I have a really strong passion for community service and working with kids,” Resta said. “Being in a place so different from my home helped me grow as a person and gain a new appreciation for life as a whole.”

Wright attended Amigos de las Americas, a program centered around building language and leadership skills. Amigos offers summer-long “home stays” in countries across Latin America. Students get “adopted” into a family, speak Spanish for the entire summer, and work with the locals to design and build something that will benefit the community, such as a new school building or a well.

“I loved getting an insight into how other people lived. It gave me a greater appreciation for diversity and honestly just life in general,” Wright said. “One thing I won’t forget was that by the end of the trip a good friend I made from the community, Elvira, felt capable and inspired to run for local government. This was so exciting to hear because it is extremely uncommon for there to be a female representative.”

Sophomore Emma Schnee is enrolled in the 2014 Amigos Program, and will be spending the summer in Ecuador, Paraguay or Nicaragua. “I am excited and nervous for my trip,” Schnee said. “I am excited to build close bonds with the community and support them in a way that will make a lasting impact, but I am nervous that my limited Spanish will be a barrier that I will hopefully be able to overcome.”

One downside to these travel-based programs is their cost, usually ranging from $2,000 to about $5,000, depending on location and length.

“I spent pretty much all of my junior year saving up… so I could go the next summer,” Resta said. “It was incredibly worth it.”

Many programs offer partial and full scholarships to students if families are not able to afford the trips. Additionally, government-sponsored programs, such as National Security Language Initiative Youth Program, are completely free, but require a rigorous application process consisting of essays and teacher recommendations.

According to counselor Grace Aviles, there is a common misconception surrounding whether or not colleges take into consideration these programs on a student’s college application during the admissions process. “Colleges are smart enough to be able to know when kids just do one of these programs to look good,” Aviles said. “Students need to have depth in their community service, meaning they’ve done it repeatedly for the past couple of years, and they have to show that they are really passionate about what they have chosen to do.”

Aviles expressed support of these programs, regardless of whether some students sign up just to “look good” on their applications. “Every student who has gone on one of these programs has loved it and come back with a broader world view, better leadership skills and a clearer focus on where they fit in with the community,” Aviles said. “One of the students was so inspired by his trip to a third world country that he even changed his college focus to sustainability.”

Some students choose to pursue more academically or artistically oriented summer programs. Colleges, such as U.C.L.A., Brown, U.C. Berkeley, and New York University, offer college-level courses for high school students in all subjects, from film and theater to journalism and philosophy. Junior Clem Quittner spent six weeks at Brown University studying theater in a program called TheatreBridge last summer, where she took movement, comedy improvisation, and Meisner-style classes, which work towards bringing spontaneity and emotion into acting.

“We all lived together in a dorm on campus, had rehearsals from nine in the morning to eleven at night, got to explore the campus and utilize the university’s facilities,” Quittner said. “It was so awesome to be learning from some of the most experienced and qualified teachers in the country.”

Enrolling in one of these courses allows students to explore their specific interests and career choices. Students can live in dorms, explore a new city, complete college-level projects, and receive college credit.

“Multiple students have enjoyed the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Chicago Art Institute, U.C.L.A., and California State Summer School of the Arts (CSSA) programs,” drawing and painting teacher Lynne Klein said. “The student experience, coupled with similarly driven artists, focuses the students and greatly improves their skills and personal voice.”

A common theme no matter the focus of the program seems to be friendship. “After six weeks, the actors and playwrights formed incredible friendships and I still talk to my friends from this summer almost twice a week,” Quittner said.

Wright shared a similar experience from her stay in Mexico. “By far the most memorable part of the entire experience was the connections I made with my fellow volunteers, as well as my host family and community members,” Wright said. “This summer was also a lesson in empathy, connection and personal growth. The volunteer experience gave me confidence and more knowledge about myself and my capabilities.”

Resta was so inspired by her trip to India with Rustic Pathways that she is thinking about taking a semester off before college to travel and do community service in Africa. “Going to India was the greatest time of my life,” Resta said. “[It] opened my eyes to the importance of happiness and love in my life.”