Jacobsen Middle School girls awarded Camp Scholarship

Tech Trek is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) camp aimed toward encouraging the interest, excitement and self-confidence in 7th grade girls.

Sponsored by American Association of University Women, it is week-long event which features hands-on activities in STEM-related fields held on a college campus. Tehachapi Mountain Branch/AAUW has supported this program for many years and provided scholarships for girls from Jacobsen Middle School to attend Tech Trek.

Linda Flores, Tech Trek coordinator, explained the camp was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID restrictions and held virtually in 2021. This year, camps will be held in-person. Flores was quick to praise teachers Darcy Hubbard and Chelsey Geber for their efforts in nominating worthy candidates for AAUW to consider. She also thanked Scaled Composites; AST (Art, Science, Technology); BHE Renewables; Lewis Brown representing Tehachapi Community Theatre; Masons and Save Mart for their financial contributions.

The girls chosen to participate this year were introduced and honored at a recent AAUW meeting. A crowd of parents, grandparents and other family members were in attendance, and their smiles and applause showed how proud they are of the chosen girls. The girls were among many who were recommended by their teachers. Interviews conducted by several AAUW members narrowed the field to the top four girls.

Chosen girls are Kennedi Clark, Aliya Meza, Gianna Moreno and Isabella Nunez. They were all described as top students, mature for their age and hard workers. Another characteristic they had in common was their desire to help others. The four girls will attend the week-long Tech Trek program at University of California, Santa Barbara, this summer. They will live in a dorm with many other girls who share their enthusiasm and interest in STEM.