A group of North Texas school girls is proof positive that summer vacation can be spent in far more productive ways than hanging out and doing each other’s nails — although they are doing that stuff, too.
This week 23 girls — all of whom are minorities and come from low-income schools around Dallas-Fort Worth — will graduate from the 8th edition of The GEMS Camp, held on the campus of UNT Dallas. GEMS stands for Girls interested in Engineering, Mathematics and Science.
“This is a way to bring girls together who actually love math and science and give them an environment that is safe to practice those skills,” said GEMS Founder Saki Milton, an educator who saw a need for more focused attention on young girls who need encouragement to embrace their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills.
“You’re talking about careers that are heavily male-dominated, so we want our students to be confident when they leave this camp, believers that they have the math skills to be able to study AP courses in high school, to be able to have a STEM major in college and hopefully be able to pursue a career in the STEM field,” Milton said.
The GEMS Camp is for girls who are entering grades seven through 10.
Lauren Zuniga, of Fort Worth, is a rising 8th grader who is attending GEMS for this first time this summer.
“I have always really loved science and math, so when I got the opportunity for this camp I was like, ‘Oh man, I have to do this!’” Zuniga said with a smile.
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Karah Johnson, of Dallas, is already attending her third GEMS Camp despite being a rising 9th grader in the Dallas ISD.
“When I’m in class, especially math and science classes, it is always boys answering the questions,” Johnson said when asked how the camp differs from her classroom experience. “Here it is just us girls, and we can be able to help each other out when we don’t know the answer, or just build our confidence up so we can be able to stand up for ourselves in everyday life.”
Kenedi Houston, 15, of Dallas, is a former GEMS camper who now volunteers her time to teach the younger girls. Like Milton, Houston hopes, more than anything, to inspire the campers.
“Definitely, because we are going into STEM careers and those careers do not have as many women, or minority women, in those careers already,” Houston said. “So it is very crucial that you feel confident that you can be a part and you can impact change.”
