The fifth annual East Bay STEM Career Awareness Day is part of a larger local, collaborative effort to engage youth in activities to promote career exploration in STEM fields. Partners included Bayer, who has been a leader in this work for more than twenty years, Wareham Development, the East Bay Economic Development Alliance, the Institute for STEM Education housed at CSU East Bay, Dynavax, the Port of Oakland, Aduro Biotech, the City of Berkeley, and Alameda County Board of Supervisors.
The event served high school students from four school districts – Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, and Richmond – and engage East Bay-based businesses, organizations, and professionals. Students benefited from this one-day career exploration event, learning about the demand for careers and a diverse workforce in our region. There is strong data to suggest that the opportunity to meet professionals and learn about careers and employment in actual workplaces can be highly motivational and transformative. The theme of this year’s program was “What problem(s) are you trying to solve?” This question invited a wide range of possibilities and discussion to spark students’ interest and inspire them to think about their future careers in the context of problem-solving. "What surprised me was the amount of people that really took the time to show me new things"
Kasandra, Dewey Academy "I learned that the Bay Area is the place to be to work in Biotech fields"
Sebastien, Berkeley High School "I learned that there are many opportunities out there for me"
Maria, Richmond High School "My favorite part of the day was learning about STEAM and meeting new people"
Noel, Oakland Technical High School "I learned that in order to create change you must work in a team and never give up"
Eduardo, De Anza High School "I learned that you have to work hard to get to the place you want to be when you grow up"
Rachel, Sojourner Truth ISP
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