BIGDream

from Area Woman Magazine Apr/May '18

by Lake & Home Magazine | Area Woman Magazine

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Does your high schooler know what career they want to pursue after they graduate? They might have a vague idea, but it’s more likely they haven’t found that one thing that sparks their interest — yet.

Minnesota State University Moorhead provides high school students hands-on learning opportunities to explore their interests and careers in two summer camps offered specifically for them — Scrubs Camp and Coding Camp.

Career-focused camps are critical in today’s market. Both camps expose students to new ideas, skills and job opportunities to help them better understand career options and how their interests might fit in with specific jobs.

“Because of camps like these, students graduate with an idea of how they want to invest their time and resources before entering college,” says Teri Winkelman, Essentia Health, a Scrubs Camp community partner.

Scrubs Camp is a weeklong, residential camp for students entering grades 9-12 who want to explore careers in healthcare. Students live on campus, are supervised by an MSUM student counselor, eat at the campus dining center, and participate in group activities; giving them the ultimate college experience.

Students also explore many different areas of healthcare by visiting local hospitals, clinics and agencies where they learn from health professionals.

“During camp planning, we make sure to have a wide variety of healthcare careers featured so students can get an idea of where they would like to focus their career,” says Shireen Alemadi, assistant director for MSUM’s Community Engagement & Out- reach. “New this year is a collaboration with the Red River Zoo to teach campers about veterinary medicine, and we are also excited to bring students to FM Acupuncture again so they can learn about Eastern medicine.”

Faculty members observe the personal growth of students every year, and many of the counselors and community partners are impressed by the professionalism these high school campers demonstrate.

“The campers I worked with showed up a little shy and nervous, but throughout the week they demonstrated time and time again how ready they were to be a contributing member of society,” says Isaac Skalsky, a Scrubs Camp counselor.

In addition to the world of healthcare, MSUM also introduces students to the ever-growing field of coding. Taught by MSUM graphic communications professor Alex Fogarty, Coding Camp teaches students front-end web design and web application development.

“Coding Camp is a great experience for our campers because it makes them creators of web content, not just consumers of it,” says Fogarty. “Just like learning a new spoken language, code can look very foreign and be intimidating. By the end of the week, they’re empowered and excited to make their ideas come alive on a web page.”

Students attending this camp not only get handson experience, but they also visit local companies and learn about job opportunities that a major in graphic design, graphic communication and computer science can open up to them.

“When they see professionals having a great time in their jobs at companies such as Myriad Mobile or BNG Design, they get excited about choosing majors in those fields,” says Fogarty.

These camps help many students solidify the field of study they want to go in, bringing in students from all over the state. By the end of camp, there is a definite increase in interest in MSUM and the Fargo-Moorhead area from campers. Some campers even plan to attend MSUM in the future.

In addition to these camps for high school students, MSUM’s College for Kids &Teens offers additional summer opportunities for all students in grades K-12 for one-week sessions in June and July.