JBEI staff participated at the 2016 East Bay STEM Career Awareness Day on April 27 along with other neighboring East Bay-based businesses, organizations, and professionals. Three hundred East Bay high school students from four school districts – Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, and Richmond –took part in this one-day career exploration event at which they were introduced to careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The event took place at Wareham Development’s Aquatic Park Center in West Berkeley.
The theme of this year’s program was “What problem(s) are you trying to solve?” with the intent to spark students’ interest and inspire them to think about their future careers in the context of problem-solving. Activities included two 45-minute morning tours hosted by several research groups.
At the outdoor working lunch, JBEI’s Communications & Outreach Manager, Irina Silva, together with Rochelle Urban, JBEI’s Education Manager took students through their professional journey. The students mapped their career paths from high school to the present day.
Following the working lunch, the workshop tabling provided an additional opportunity for the students to ask questions about what it means to be a professional. JBEI was on hand to share career advice and internship resources.
The East Bay STEM Career Awareness Day was part of a larger local, collaborative effort to engage youth in activities to promote career exploration in STEM fields. Partners included Bayer HealthCare, Wareham Development, the East Bay Economic Development Alliance, the Institute for STEM Education housed at CSU East Bay, Dynavax, the City of Berkeley, and Alameda County Board of Supervisors.