Boeing Partners with Summer At SLU for Camp Scholarships
08/23/2022
One of the primary goals of Summer At SLU is to engage with the St. Louis community, bringing K-12 students from across the region to the University campus from May to August.
In summer 2022, Summer At SLU received a unique opportunity to do just that through one of its STEM camps.
“In the spring, Shadina Devine, an engineer at Boeing, reached out to me to see if there were any STEM programs available for middle school students who needed financial assistance to attend a camp,” says Jacob Wierson, assistant director of summer and extended studies. “I was encouraged by Shadina and Boeing’s enthusiasm, and I ensured Shadina that Summer At SLU could help in any way possible.”
After reaching out to Wierson, the possibility became reality — Boeing provided five scholarships for middle school students to attend Visual Mobile App and Game Development with MIT App Inventor, taught by Chaifetz School of Business professor Kerry Guilliams.
During the camp, students created a mobile app on their Apple and Android phones through MIT’s App Inventor, which supports the creation of complex, high-impact apps. Campers received training and development on programming, app creation and learned logic and decision making skills.
All of this was possible through a new initiative launched by Boeing.
“The Boeing Engineering, Education, & Equity (BE3) is a pipeline program established to provide students in our underserved communities with access and exposure to engineering,” says Shadina Devine, Engineering Technical Specialist at Boeing. “Jacob has been an outstanding partner, and the BE3 Program looks forward to partnering in 2023.”
This year was the pilot year for this initiative, with BE3 partnering with universities in the St. Louis area for STEM summer camps as well as an apprenticeship program for rising juniors and seniors in high school.
BE3 hopes to expand their reach in the coming years, in continued partnerships with St. Louis colleges and universities, the apprenticeship program, as well as internships for high school students which is set to start in 2023.
“Where BE3 grows, Summer At SLU wants to be right there with them,” Wierson said. “In giving students of different age groups and backgrounds the opportunity to explore careers in STEM, this helps fulfill a key part of the Saint Louis University mission in the pursuit of truth for the greater glory of God and for the service of humanity.”
The Visual Mobile App and Game Development camp was one of over 50 K-12 camps and academies that was offered in 2022 as part of Summer At SLU.
Summer at SLU
Summer At SLU, located within the Office of Summer and Extended Studies at Saint Louis University, aims to provide exceptional summer camps and academies to K-12 students in the St. Louis region and beyond. Programs offered include athletic camps such as soccer, basketball and swimming as well as academic camps such as theater, creative writing, engineering, medicine and technology.