Future Bearcats peek inside college life, share creative ideas
University of Cincinnati welcomes local youth to a day in the life of a college student and molds future STEM leaders
What may seem like a far-off dream for most kids their age became a glimpse into the future as the University of Cincinnati welcomed hundreds of excited Tristate youth to campus last week.
Fourth through sixth-grade girls from Cincinnati’s Girls with Pearls after-school program enjoyed an inspirational day of life as a college student. And earlier in the week campus was abuzz as local middle and high school members of area 3D printer clubs showcased their inner STEM talents in UC’s TUC Great Hall.
In collaboration with Cincinnati’s Most Valuable Kids program and in honor of International Women's Day in March, more than 70 girls from Cincinnati Public Schools and other area schools interacted with UC female students, faculty and staff for an afternoon of girl empowerment. CPS Strong is an important initiative of UC's Next Lives Here strategic direction and aims to increase the number of UC students from Cincinnati Public Schools.
Nothing but smiling faces filled the African American Cultural & Resource Center as the girls participated in group activities and met several UC students.
Before the wide-eyed girls branched off on a tour of campus, they heard words of encouragement and a demonstration of UC’s "Down the Drive" cheer by Lauren White, UC fifth-year marketing student and "Ms. Kuamka 2018."
UC student Lauren White demonstrates UC's Down the Drive cheer to Cincinnati's Girls with Pearls. photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative Services
UCPD Officer Princess Davis has fun with Cincinnati's Girls with Pearls as they listen to success stories and tour UC's campus. photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative Services
Pearls of wisdom
UC's Mercedes Jones, program manager for AACRC, discusses future options for new students with directors of Girls with Pearls. photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative Services
“As our young women are exposed to successful women in the community who look like them and who have come from similar backgrounds and are now professors, scientists and business leaders, we watch them blossom into leaders themselves,” says Tamie Sullivan, a UC alum with degrees from CCM and CECH ‘84, and executive director of Cincinnati’s Girls with Pearls collaborative after-school program.
“The more our girls envision themselves in these roles, the quicker they evolve into school ambassadors, class presidents and model students who are looked up to by younger students.”
She says touring UC’s campus up close gives the girls, especially from high-risk communities, a clear perspective of educational options for building successful lives and careers.
“What started as an after-school pilot program to help girls grow into smart, strong leaders has since exceeded our expectations,” she says. “We have created a space where a growing number of girls are able to find their voices, become empowered to lead, set goals and are gaining enough self-confidence to work through their teenage years building on that self-esteem.”
The Girls with Pearls campus tour included a stop at Fifth Third Arena. photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative Services
After navigating through UC’s residence halls, academic buildings and athletic stadiums, the Girls with Pearls enjoyed a dinner in Center Court dining hall with UC students and staff.
The event was sponsored in collaboration with UC Women’s Center, UC Center for Community Engagement, UC Gen-1 Program, UC Fraternity and Sorority Life, African American Cultural and Resource Center, UC Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Friends of WGSS.
“I can’t wait to become a student at the University of Cincinnati someday,” said one student toting her bag of Bearcat swag as she headed for her bus.
More about Cincinnati's Girls with Pearls
News media coverage
UC student Lauren White enjoys the afternoon as she squires fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade Girls with Pearls around UC's campus. photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative Services
Three-dimensional thinking
A middle school presenter holds a 3D-printed elephant he created for UC's third annual 3D Printer Showcase. photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
A captivated student captures a cellphone image of a 3D printer at UC's third annual 3D Printer Showcase. photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
As new technology enters the sciences, kids younger and younger are getting into the act.
UC welcomed local middle and high-school students to campus on March 7, as more than 500 exuberant future scientists showcased their 3D printer creations at the third annual 3D Printer Showcase in TUC’s Great Hall.
Using the latest in 3D printing technology, area students created three-dimensional solutions to real-world problems. Oh, and several model cars, too.
Energy filled the room as students demonstrated their creative prowess. Some objects were as small as a cellphone but were equipped with so many intricate moving parts that they impressed even the most senior educators at UC and Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS).
A young exhibitor holds a miniature 3D-printed jet engine at UC's 3D Printer Showcase. photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
A future scientist holds her 3D-printed creature she created for UC's 3D Printer Showcase. photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
“They are learning to take what is in their minds and make it a reality,” says Tiffany Wharton, club leader and K-12 teacher in CPS Bond Hill Academy. “This club provides a wonderful opportunity to be creative.”
In addition to tiny operational windmills, model cars and miniature hydraulic lifts, some of the student innovation on display included project themes such as "Building for the Future," "On-the-go Salt and Pepper Shaker" and "Maze Runner."
3D printer clubs across the country provide a way for students to learn more about STEM careers and future opportunities, adds Wharton.
Throughout the fun and games, students reveal the real reasons they love participating in one of the 49 area 3D printer clubs.
“Now that I have learned more in this club, I can do more things and maybe get a STEM career,” says a fifth-grade student at A.M. Yealey Elementary from Boone County Schools in Northern Kentucky.
“3D printing will be the technology [of the] future and I’m getting a jump on the future,” boasts a seventh-grade student at Twenhofel Middle School of the Kenton County School District in Northern Kentucky.
Small 3D-printed boats, planes and cars are part of the display at UC's third annual 3D Printer Showcase. photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
Watching the 3D printers in action fascinates many local middle schoolers at UC's 3D Printer Showcase. photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
As part of the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative (GCSC), local partners highlighted additional STEM learning and career preparation opportunities at the showcase. Exhibitors included several UC colleges, Procter & Gamble (P&G), General Electric (GE), Cincinnati Museum Center, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Northern Kentucky Makerspace, Polar 3D, Gorilla Makers, Simplify3D and more, helping to bring future innovation into view.
Local 3D printer clubs are supported by the Charles H. Dater Foundation, the Carol and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, GE, P&G, University of Cincinnati, anonymous donors and many community partners across the Greater Cincinnati region.
For more on the GCSC 3D Printers Club
Featured image at the top: Tamie Sullivan, executive director of Cincinnati's Girls with Pearls after-school collaborative, with eight Cincinnati Public Schools, enjoys a day on UC's campus as they participate in group activities on International Women's Day, 2019. photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative Services
UC plays host to the third annual 3D Printer Showcase featuring local middle and high school 3D-printed creations in TUC's Great Hall. photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
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