Without adequate reading comprehension, writing proficiency, math competency, and critical thinking skills, students pursuing higher education are vulnerable to failure. An environmental Science course built around academic wholism is the focus of a summer program designed to bridge the gap between high school and college. Students self-reflect and learn to counteract their existing insufficiencies and build upon their developing strengths. The resulting impact of a uniquely designed program, built upon this pedagogical paradigm, enables students to expand their learning profiles beyond the cognitive level to the personal domain: self-empowerment and self-confidence. Success becomes a multifaceted reality.