A teacher in Fort Myer working to increase the number of young women going into scientific and mathematical fields of study. The camp, which caters to young girls, meets at the STARS Complex in Fort Myers and engages the girls in hands on experimentation using everyday materials. Dr. Jesse Bryson leads the camp and, along with the I Will Mentorship Foundation, brings in older students to teach guide the younger girls while they work.
“What we’re doing is creating the next generation of females that’s going into the stem fields.", Bryson told 4 In Your Corner
Bryson's immediate goal is to help the goals improve academically in science and math classes by helping them incorporate the knowledge their learning at his camp into their classroom studies.
“First and foremost the youth will have different opportunities to expand their knowledge."
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics occupations are jobs Bryson says are lacking in women. He hopes this camp will inspire the girls in his community to consider going into those professions in the future. The high school-aged mentors he's brought in to guide the experiments help make that happen.
“You get to interact them. They’re really a great group of girls with their personalities so it’s really amazing to get to be around them every day", said Deona Wallace.
Wallace is a local high school student who began working with the camp after Dr. Bryson asked her to get involved. She says she enjoys helping the girls get more interested in science, and giving them advice about other parts of their lives as well.
“I think that it really changes their life when they get a chance to learn about stuff like this.”
The students seem to agree. Seoni Sharan says the best part about the camp is the opportunity for her to touch the things she's only seen in books, and she's hoping to do more in the future.
“At school you always have to write it in a book and you barely get to do any hands on learning but at STEM you can actually use your hands and work with it", she said.
