Project 3C Summer Camp gives students unique experiences in STEM

Many rising middle and high schoolers took part in a specialized STEM Camp this week at Robeson Community College. The camp was hosted by RCC’s Project 3C which aims to connect community, college, and career through STEM.

Project 3C’s mission is to provide American Indian students with experiences and skills necessary to accomplish goals successfully, increase similarities between their interests and career choices, and broaden their college and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Students had several different opportunities for adventure this week at RCC with options of attending camps such as Game Development and Networking Camp, Camp Robotics, RobCoBots Engineering Camp, Scrubs, The “POWER” of the Future, Forensics Camp, Space Camp, and Science Comes to “LIFE.”

Seth Locklear, Thomas Oxendine (teacher) , Elijah Locklear, and Chayden Locklear hold the robot they created during the Project 3C STEM camp

]For Seth Locklear, Chayden Locklear, and Elijah Locklear, the camps were an experience of a lifetime.

“I built this,” exclaimed Chayden as he proudly showed a robot that he built in the robotics camp.

One of Chayden’s fellow campers, Elijah said “Watch this” as he showed his robot, saying, “It has sensors on it, so when you step in front of it, it will change directions.”

Another robotics camper, Seth said with excitement that he is thinking about going into the robotics field, and “I’m going to make a lot of money doing this.”

To which Thomas Oxendine, the instructor for the robotics camp, gladly replied, “I hope you do.”

Oxendine told the students that he hoped they would continue to learn more about robotics and engineering, as they were getting ready to leave. “It is a great career field to enter,” Oxendine said.

Like the Locklear’s, students throughout the camp were exposed to many different career paths and this camp allowed many opportunities for exploration in different jobs. It also gave students an understanding of how the subjects they learn while in school can be applied directly to the workforce.

The Forensics camp for example, gave students a glimpse of what it would be like to work in law enforcement and criminal justice. Students ended the forensics camp by watching an episode of CSI, a popular television show that has inspired many to go into the scientific career field.

“I just finished my project,” said one student in the forensic camp holding it up for the teacher to see. “I’m having so much fun.”

Project 3C is a Native Youth Community Project grant program provided by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and funded by the Department of Education.