Summer camps blend fun with career exploration
Participants in the Summer Engineering Academy dive into high-demand STEM fields alongside industry experts.
High school students descend into the Biosphere 2 living quarters during the Summer Engineering Academy’s Explore Engineering camp on July 13.
The college’s 2026 Arizona Summer Engineering Academy introduced 132 middle schoolers and 271 ninth- to 12th- graders and recent high school graduates to fast-growing fields like mining, semiconductor manufacturing and chemical engineering.
Salpointe Catholic High School sophomore James Armstrong wanted to study aerospace engineering, but after a field trip to the ASARCO Mission Mine Complex, he started considering a career in mining.
“Mining engineering has a 100% job placement rate, and that’s a six-figure job,” he said. “You get to use machinery like you would if you were an aerospace engineer.”
SEA, now in its 21st year, connects high school students with industry professionals through hands-on activities and tours.
Armstrong attended the Semiconductor Design, Fabrication and Application camp, one of four day camps offered alongside three weeklong residential camps. Other camp focus areas included energy and water; sustainable materials; and light, optics and electronics.
The camps demonstrated the range and versatility of engineering degrees offered at the College of Engineering.
“I don’t even have to be an aerospace engineer to work at Lockheed Martin; I could be a mechanical engineer too,” Armstrong said. “It's not a one-trick pony.”
Aminah Ochoa, a junior at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, also attended the semiconductor camp.
“Computers are finding a place in almost everything in society,” she said. “I thought it was really cool to learn more about what’s coming into our world.”
A presentation on the Integrated Business and Engineering bachelor’s degree program sparked Ochoa's interest.
“That is something that I want to do here, as well as law,” she said. “I don’t want to miss out on business or law while doing engineering.”
