High schoolers in summer camps explore fast-growing tech careers
Summer Engineering Academy participants head back to school with surefire intel on STEM employers looking to shore up the workforce.
Summer Engineering Academy students explore career opportunities and daily operations at the Missions Mine Complex on July 7 with ASARCO tour guide Michael Landin.
The college’s 2025 Arizona Summer Engineering Academy gave about 130 middle schoolers and 300 ninth- to 12th -graders and recent high school graduates a real-life understanding of engineering fields in high demand, such as mining operations, hypersonic vehicles and semiconductor manufacturing.
“This camp lets me explore all types of engineering, which is super cool,” said Josh Rabenou, who attended the Semiconductor Design, Fabrication and Application day camp.
Josh Rabenou, a junior at University High School in Tucson, says the Semiconductor Design, Fabrication and Application day camp is ‘super cool.’
Now in its 20th year, SEA’s expanded hands-on programs for high school students include five camps spanning four days and two weeklong residential camps. Additionally, Cummings Aerospace sponsored a five-day camp that immersed middle schoolers in 3D-design and printing, coding and robotics.
Rabenou, a junior at University High School in Tucson, was among 50 SEA scholarship recipients benefiting from Caterpillar, BOSCH and Arizona Giving Day donations.
The camp included a July 7 trip to the nearby ASARCO Mission Mine Complex, where students toured facilities against the backdrop of a 1,200-foot-deep open pit spanning 2.5 by 1.5 miles on 20,000 acres. ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company) has been producing copper in Arizona for more than a decade.
“The mine was very interesting to see in person, and learning about the wide range of jobs within mining was a big takeaway for me,” Rabenou said.
Tour guide Michael Landin guided students through mining operations in full swing – giant drills, shovels and haul trucks.
“We need a hundred people right now at this facility,” he said. “You get a job here, you have a career for the rest of your life because the mining industry isn’t going anywhere.”
Camps grow in numbers, offerings
Cori Dennis, SEA director and coordinator of high school outreach and summer programs, said the college expanded the academy’s June and July offerings to tailor experiences to regional economic trends and accommodate rising attendance, like the middle school camp, which grew by 30% from 2024 to 2025.
“That enabled departments within the College of Engineering to be more specific on what they were teaching the campers,” said Dennis, adding that the program is grateful for additional longtime supporters Bosch, Caterpillar, Intel and the U of A Applied Research Corp.
Other camp focus areas included transportation and infrastructure; energy and water; and light, optics and electronics.
“I especially like mechanics and electrical things,” said Sophia Lau, a freshman at BASIS Scottsdale, who also attended the Semiconductor Design, Fabrication and Application day camp.
Campers made lifelong connections not just with one another but also with professors, grad students and undergraduate mentors.
Summer Engineering Academy counselor and biomedical engineering sophomore McKenna Athey says she loves to watch campers get 'a spark of inspiration' and go from shy to asking lots of questions.
Camilla Chavez-Correa, a U of A junior in mechanical engineering and second-year assistant head counselor, said the camps “build community with future engineers – something that can sometimes be lacking in the pre-college experience.”
Fellow counselor and biomedical engineering sophomore McKenna Athey echoed that sentiment, saying that the camps provided a safe and supportive environment for many students to break out of their shells.
“When I was in high school, I felt like I needed somebody to guide me through engineering, so I wanted to be that for somebody else.”
