Partnerships bring expanded STEM opportunities for high school students in South County.

This summer, 70 high school students across Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City are enrolled in camps exploring nano programming, drone technology and cybersecurity. 

“Students are receiving stipends for attending, and the funding also supports transportation, helping reduce participation barriers for rural students,” says Ashley Selck, Northern Central Coast K16 Collaborative coordinator with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.

These efforts are in partnership among Hartnell College, CSU Monterey Bay, Gonzales Unified, Soledad Unified and South Monterey County Joint Union High school districts and $453,000 in funds from Reboot Representation Tech Coalition, an organization that focuses on bringing more female representation in tech fields from minority groups, including Black, Latina and Native American girls and women. 

"This funding opportunity demonstrates the power of regional collaboration," Selck said in a press release. "By working together across districts and educational partners, we are strengthening the efforts of our K-16 grantees to increase student participation and pathways into Engineering, Mechatronics, and Agricultural Technology."

Students from Soledad and Gonzales high schools are attending camps at Hartnell College's Soledad Education Center, while Greenfield and King City high schools students are participating at the Hartnell College King City Education Center.