Approximately 60 rising tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students as well as recent graduates from 10 different counties and two states are attending the South Georgia Technical College Summer Bridge STEM camp to learn more about the educational and career opportunities available in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. SGTC and Chattahoochee Flint RESA partnered to host the event with grant funding. The theme of the camp is “Fueling Minds, Driving Innovation.”
The Jet Set Stem Camp kicked off on Sunday, July 12th and will end on Thursday, June 16th. High school students and recent graduates took advantage of the free five day, four-night camp that allowed students to take part in the “complete college experience” while learning more about STEM type careers. This is the third consecutive year that SGTC has hosted the event.
The students stayed on-campus in SGTC housing and ate three meals each day in the SGTC Dining Hall. Students and their parents met together on Sunday, July 12th for an orientation session and parents will return on Thursday for a STEM Camp Graduation celebration.
The STEM campers and counselors were divided into four different teams –Gear Heads, Accelerators, Nitro, and Velocity. The teams competed against each other in different games and competitions to earn bragging rights about STEM related activities.
The students were exposed to many of the over 200 programs of study on the SGTC campus including aviation maintenance, avionics, aircraft structural, medical and nursing programs, culinary arts, electrical construction, welding and joining, marketing, CDL, automotive repair and auto collision and repair, high performance engines, diesel technology, electrical lineworker, criminal justice, precision machining and manufacturing, biology, nail tech, mathematics, air conditioning technology, sports and fitness, culinary arts, cosmetology, barbering, cybersecurity, horticulture, electronics, and more.
Students enjoyed a wide array of activities each day under the supervision of SGTC and Chattahoochee Flint RESA administrators, faculty, and staff. SGTC Grant Coordinator Katrice Martin, SGTC Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Josh Curtin, VP of Student Affairs Eulish Kinchens, VP of Academic Affairs Julie Partain, and SGTC VP of Institutional Advancement Su Ann Bird along with Chattahoochee Flint RESA’s Heidi Gooden and Tonya Barrett planned the event and coordinated with SGTC instructors and students to help highlight the different program areas.