Tech Trek Campers

This year, the Sacramento AAUW Branch sent five students — Frankie XU, Kendra Sagara. Margaux Bautista, Alondra Chavez, and Emily Carmona — to the Tech Trek summer camp at UC Davis. Tech Trek is an experiential summer camp designed to pique the interest of eighth-grade girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). A group of Branch members were able to see the girls in action in several of the classes offered. The classes we visited included genetics, math and engineering, anatomy and physiology, and computer science. The girls were building bridges in engineering, dissecting lungs and learning about respiration in anatomy, creating apps for devices in computer science. All the girls we spoke with said they were having fun, learning new things, and were so happy to be there.

Tech Trekkers Deep in Discussion

Since 1998, AAUW has helped change girls’ lives through Tech Trek. A 2013 survey of Tech Trek alumnae who attended the camp in California between 2006 and 2009 demonstrates the program’s lasting effects on many levels, including interest and confidence in STEM fields, decision to pursue STEM curricula and future career plans. For example, 82% of the girls chose to take more science classes in high school, 87% completed algebra and 77% pre-calculus, 73% enrolled in four-year college or university programs and 91% reported that Tech Trek boosted their self-confidence in their ability to be successful in science classes and 78% said the same for math classes.

Linda P. observes a Tech Trekker in action

Later this year we hope to have some of the girls come to a Branch meeting to share their Tech Trek experiences.

Thank you to all members who supported Tech Trek this year and in years past. You can be assured that you made a wise investment in the futures of young girls.