By Taffy Geith
Lisa addressing the school board
The Riverside Branch of the American Association of University Women, (AAUW), had the opportunity to present the seven middle school girls chosen as the 2012 Tech Trek scholarship winners to the Riverside Unified School District Board of Trustees on May 21. Lisa Newhall, Tech Trek Coordinator, began by expressing the AAU W Mission to promote equity for women and girls through education, research, philanthropy, and advocacy. She defined the Tech Trek program as a week-long summer camp held at UC San Diego that stresses science, math, and related technical subjects for girls going into eighth grade. The girls live in the campus dorms, attend daily core classes, and rotating labs, take field trips and marine biology boat trips. Instructors include credentialed middle school teachers, and professional women engaged in technical fields. All of this allows the students to develop and increase their interests and gain confidence before entering eighth grade. Further, the university campus experience has many social benefits as students interact with others their own ages as well as observe the professional behavior and computer excellence of those adults going about their daily lives.
Lisa gave a brief history of the Tech Trek Program that began in California in 1998 in Stanford, California. The Riverside Branch began participating in 2004 by sending two students, however, this year the Riverside Branch raised enough funds to send seven students. Guidelines for the Program require a rigorous process for these students to undergo in order to be selected. Seventh grade teachers nominate girls interested in math and science, who then submit applications and essays that are reviewed, some are chosen to be interviewed, and after careful consideration, the Tech Trek Committee makes the final selection. Lisa introduced the following girls as the scholarship winners to attend Tech Trek June 24-30 at UC San Diego: Alyssa Saldana from Earhart Middle School, Carolyn Perez and Fernanda Delgadillo from University Heights Middle School, Audrey Dunn from Miller Middle School, Rachael Newhall from Gage Middle School, and Kaylen Gomez and Andrea Galvez-McDonough from Chemawa Middle School.
From left to right: Carolyn Perez, Alyssa Saldana, Audrey Dunn, Fernanda Delgadillo, Rachel Newhall, Kaylen Gomez, Andrea Galvez-McDonough
To those present, the sight of these seven young students shaking hands with Mrs. Cloud, School Board President, and Dr. Miller, School Superintendent, as the audience showed their appreciation, was inspiring and reassuring. This should be an enriching learning experience for all of them, and, hopefully, these students will some day say, “my life was made different” because I went to Tech Trek summer camp.
Funds for these scholarships were provided by the California Retired Teachers, Supervisors John Tavaglione and Bob Buster, The Dibbler Garden Club, and membership donations. The Riverside Branch of AAUW invites donations for next year’s summer camp at UC San Diego. (For information: call Jo Turner, 951-786-3966). The STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) are the focus of worldwide attention and are under represented by women. By encouraging middle school girls as potential scholars, the Riverside Branch of AAUW is fulfilling its mission in the very best way.