7th Grade Program
Pathways to Your Future: Exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) Careers is a career awareness program that all seventh-grade students are eligible to participate in. This free program introduces students to professionals from academia, medicine, government agencies, business, and industry for a day of workshops and discussion. It also provides teachers with information to guide students toward career opportunities in STEAM fields.
Description and Participants
All of the middle schools (both public and private) in the Penn State York service area (which includes York County, parts of Adams and Lancaster Counties, as well as fourteen schools in Maryland) are eligible to attend Pathways. We also invite established groups of York County home-schooled children and charter schools, both “bricks and mortar” and cyber (that enroll York County students), to participate in our program. Penn State York is proud to offer this experience free of charge to participating schools. There must be one adult chaperone (either a teacher or school-approved volunteer) per twelve students who attend. Schools may request to bring more than twelve students by contacting the pathways coordinator before registering for the event.
Participants are chosen by the school (usually by our teacher contact). Teachers use a variety of methods for selecting the students to attend the conference: grades, lottery, essays, interest in college degrees in math, science, engineering and/or technology, teacher recommendation, etc. We ask the schools to select students from all ability levels and to encourage students to participate even though they may not yet show a genuine interest in college and/or mathematics and science. Our hope is that by engaging our participants in meaningful, hands-on activities, we will encourage more students, especially young women, to consider a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics-related (STEM) college major/career.
Goals of the Program
- To increase awareness in middle school students of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) college majors and careers
- To provide opportunities for middle school students to explore career options and to interact with professionals from STEAM and related fields
- To provide continuing support and encouragement for all students who have expressed interest in pursuing career opportunities in STEAM and related fields
- To encourage middle school students to take college preparatory mathematics courses in high school so that the doors to STEAM majors/careers remain open to them
- To provide teachers and parents with information to guide students toward college major and career opportunities in mathematics, science, engineering, art and technology
Accomplishments of the Program
For more than twenty-five years, this program has brought together students, teachers and parents from local middle schools; current students, professors, career counselors, administrators and alumni from Penn State; professors from other universities; individuals from Harrisburg and Baltimore area educational facilities; and people from businesses and industries for a most exciting, informative and rewarding day-long conference.
The Pathways program has given our campus an opportunity to reach out to the community with a free educational conference for seventh-grade students, their teachers, and parents to encourage students, especially young women, to pursue college majors/careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) related fields.
During our wrap-up session, students indicate that they enjoyed the day and learned something new at Pathways. In addition, students have commented that, as a result of participating in this conference, they understand how important science, mathematics and technology are to their future success, and they now are considering college majors/careers that require these skills. We feel very strongly that we have “made a difference” and positively influenced the future college/career paths of many of the student participants from the local middle schools by providing worthwhile experiences and excellent role models.