The 5th Annual Career STEAMposium was virtually held and welcomed over 300 students who took advantage of this dynamic program that exposed middle school, high school and community college students to professionals in all aspects of STEAM. COVID caused the team to cancel this event in 2020, but the planning committee came back with a vengeance in 2021 and took the event virtual with ten workshops and seven hands-on activities.
The workshops helped to Expose, Demistify and Engage attendees in all aspects of STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. The Hands-On Activities were creatively done with a combination of interesting videos followed by Q&A. These activities included Cal Poly Pomona Rockets and Cars that students built for competition, Robotics offered by Team Sprocket from Diamond Bar High School, The Making of a Fender Guitar, NASA JPL’s Mars Perseverance project, What goes into making games and dissection, heart tissue and what it reveals. The students attended two of the ten workshops and had the opportunity to hop through as many of the Hands-On activities as they wanted in the allotted time. Every workshop and activity gave them the chance to ask questions and learn. Feedback from students included the following comments - “I enjoyed the workshops and getting to hear the presenters speak. They were really interesting and fun to talk too!” and “All participants were engaged in delivering info in a manner that was accessible and interesting.” Students heard messages about why STEAM is important. STEAM is the future. STEAM careers offer flexibility and a path to choice in life. In the United States, there are more STEAM opportunities, than there are people to fill them. STEAM opportunities are vast and continue to develop with many STEAM jobs of the future not even existing today. It is for these reasons that we expose our kids to STEAM and show them that they can one day be a STEAM professional, too. As one of the attendees said, “I loved all the speakers, they told great stories and gave amazing advice that catered to my interests.” In order to make sure that all the attendees got their questions answered, they were given the opportunity to hop through sessions to network with as many professionals as possible to get their last questions answered. In this time of COVID, the attendees were given as close to a live experience as possible while being inspired to pursue opportunities in STEAM. This event that prepares our workforce of the future for the jobs of the future is presented by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Pasadena Chapter, Gamma Zeta Boule Foundation and the Pasadena/Altadena Ivy Foundation. The sponsors for this event are Edison International, AT&T, CalTech, City of Hope and The Boeing Company. Founded in 1908, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) is the oldest and first Greek-lettered organization established by African-American college-educated women. AKA's membership is comprised of over 300,000 distinguished women in graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States and abroad who boast excellent academic records, proven leadership skills, and who are involved in the global community through advocacy and service. Dr. Glenda Glover is the 30th International President and will serve from 2018 - 2022. Her administration's theme is “Exemplifying Excellence Through Sustainable Service.” For more information, log on to www.aka1908.com. Shelby Boagni is the 26th Far Western Regional Director. The Far Western Region consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Utah. For more information on the Far Western Region, log on to www.akafarwest.com. |
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