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Read Well, Live Well

Pursuing the Good Life Together through Great Books

At Torrey Honors, we believe that reading well helps us live well. Read Well, Live Well is a free, pre-college summer seminar for incoming high school seniors from underserved communities in the greater Los Angeles area. Through transformative texts, deep discussions and engaging field trips with Torrey Honors professors, Read Well, Live Well scholars explore how great thinkers from the past speak powerfully into contemporary conversations and are equipped to make a difference in their communities.


Experience College

Program Overview

Read Well, Live Well is a free, two-week summer seminar designed to prepare incoming high school seniors from underserved communities to attend college and to wrestle with big questions about justice, democracy, education and what it means to live well as members of a community.

Read Well, Live Well scholars receive an immersive college-style experience, including:

  • Living in a dorm on Biola's campus and eating at Café Biola.
  • Reading transformative texts by great thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Frederick Douglass, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Discussing big questions in small groups led by Torrey Honors professors.
  • Exploring inspiring Los Angeles civic and cultural sites such as the Getty Center, the Griffith Observatory and a live Shakespeare performance.
  • Practicing college-level writing with help from college mentors.
  • Participating in practical workshops on navigating the college application process, and developing skills and strategies to succeed in college and beyond.

Following the summer, Read Well, Live Well scholars will meet regularly during the school year for additional thought-provoking events with Torrey Honors professors and for free assistance in applying for college, locating relevant scholarships and succeeding in college and future endeavors.

We’ve got you covered

Program Benefits

For the two-week summer program, every Read Well, Live Well scholar receives:

  • Free tuition, room and board
  • Free books
  • Free t-shirt
  • Free field trips and lectures by guest speakers
  • Free mentorship by Torrey Honors professors and students
  • Free help applying to colleges, finding scholarships to pay for college, strategies for succeeding in college and lessons in leadership development.

Students who successfully complete the two weeks will earn a letter of recommendation from a Torrey Honors professor to accompany their college applications.

Let’s learn together

How to Apply

High-achieving, current high school juniors in the greater Los Angeles area who are curious, hard-working, and open to sharing their ideas are encouraged to apply! 

Read Well, Live Well is an intellectually rigorous program, and students should expect to read, discuss, and write intensively. Preference will be given to students from low-income households, underrepresented groups and/or who will be the first generation in their families to attend college.

Apply Now 

Application Deadline

April 1, 2024

Program Dates

July 7–20, 2024

About the Program

The Read Well, Live Well program is run by the Torrey Honors College in partnership with Biola’s Division of Diversity and Inclusion. It is funded by the Teagle Foundation’s Knowledge for Freedom initiative. Other universities with Knowledge for Freedom programs include Columbia University, Villanova University and Yale University. For more information about the program, please contact us at read.well.live.well@biola.edu.

Program Co-Director
Program Co-Director
Chief Diversity Officer