A Successful Summer: STEM Pathways

eliotp4
Aug 28
2 min read

This summer, LET'S GO in partnership with YouthWorks hosted STEM Pathways, our flagship internship program that teaches students skills in VEX Robotics and 3D Design. Alongside these career-oriented skillsets, participants also built professional portfolios, and practiced networking with industry professionals. As the season comes to a close, we wanted to highlight the amazing work of our youth interns!

A First Time for Everything

Throughout the program, our youth collaborated together in small teams to dive straight into the nuts and bolts. Many students said that it was their first time learning about robotics, but being able to engage in hands on exploration with with the robots quickly grew their interest.

In addition to robotics, students were also given the opportunity to learn about 3D Design and CAD. They learned the ins and outs of the cutting edge software, OnShape. Although a first encounter for many, some of our interns had worked with CAD software the year prior, and were instrumental in helping their peers learn their way around OnShape. It was truly inspiring to see our youth step up and serve as STEM leaders in the midst of the program! Our personal favorite piece is this beautifully designed screwdriver that one of our esteemed youth fabricated from basic shapes; the screwdriver was a practical project, as it was fully compatible with the screws other students used in building their VEX robots.

"I actually liked learning about OnShape, I'm definitely interested in becoming an Engineer or something in the future"

- STEM Pathways Intern

A Showcase to Remember!

At the tail end of the program, our interns held an absolutely incredible Demo Day, which showcased all of the different robots and designs they created themselves. Community partners and parents that attended remarked that they were impressed with our interns' ability to explain the tools they were using, and their design process regarding the finished products. Here's a quick glimpse at some of the finalized projects; from competition-ready robots to fully operational claw machines, our students have demonstrated incredible drive and ingenuity this summer!