Karen Camacho, a junior at Palo Alto's Gunn High School, may not have known that during her trip to IBM Research - Almaden she would learn how the next generation of batteries is going to be made, discover the secrets behind Watson, and take a trip into Second Life with a Portuguese-speaking researcher. But she, along with 26 of her classmates, were lucky enough to do just that during a visit supported by Gunn's College Pathways Program.
Monica Espinoza, Guidance Counselor and Program Coordinator at Gunn High School was instrumental in developing the College Pathways Program stemming from the district's goal to implement a district-school-community partnership designed to help increase the number of underrepresented students who are college-ready upon high school graduation. The program, which focuses on the students as well as the parents, affords students the chance to understand opportunities and responsibilities inherent in a college education, learn the pathways to college, and prepare for the college admissions process.
One of Monica's students in the program, Abel Abraha, wanted to see what it was like at companies also. Seeing colleges was interesting, but it still represented to the students the next phase of education; what would happen next? What would they do with their college degrees? What is the real working world like?
So Monica, with invaluable strategic and operational support from outstanding community volunteers from Gunn High School and Palo Alto, implemented the Silicon Valley Company Field Trip into the College Pathways Program to encourage students to develop a vision of themselves beyond the immediate future. In participating in these field trips, the students would experience first-class professional environments and gain awareness of education and professional paths leading to diverse careers in various industries. During the Silicon Valley Company Field Trip's inaugural year, the students visited a Bay Area biotechnology company and IBM Research - Almaden."Making a difference that matters in students' lives is a community responsibility," said Michelle Sung, IBM business operations manager and main organizer for the Gunn High School visit. "We hope that we're able to open these students' minds and help expand their visions beyond the classrooms, by showcasing a word-class research lab, and cool technologies with societal impact. If we can make a positive impact on one student's life, we can say that we've succeeded."
During the visit to Almaden, the students visited with and heard from a dedicated group of IBMers from all different backgrounds - from researchers and public relations professionals to scientists, chemists and lawyers - all of whom effectively conveyed to the students that there is something for everyone in technical companies such as IBM. Several of them advised the students to try different things and find what clicks, reminding them that though they might not know what the future holds yet, "just be the best you can - now, and in college - keep your grades up, be passionate, and you'll figure it out."
One presentation showed the students how the Deep QA System Watson works and how a machine was designed to beat the world's best Jeopardy! champions. When the students had a chance to play a mock game of Jeopardy! against Watson, they got a kick out of the category "Who's Your Daddy?" - but more importantly, learned that technologies such as this will have a huge impact on their lives in the future.
Throughout the additional presentations and lab tours, the students had a chance to see all types of people of different backgrounds and ages, which enabled the students to establish connections, and help them to realize they could be in these positions someday. Following a roundtable discussion at lunch with various IBMers, the students walked away motivated by what they heard. "We could connect very well with the speakers. It really inspired me to know that you could come out from any background and actually achieve something great," Karen said. "I really liked the advice that the speakers gave."Lizbeth Aldaco echoed Karen's sentiments. "I liked that we could connect, and that they had struggles in their life and they still made it through," Lizbeth said. "Everybody has struggles, but they still made it here and they're making a difference."
"I think this opened my eyes up to different opportunities. It opened up more doors. I want to do something different now," said Wil Loveless. His classmate Soulemayne Sarr enjoyed hearing about each of the panelists' backgrounds and education. "They weren't just talking about jobs," he said. "It might sound corny, but they said 'you can do anything.' And that's what really stuck with me."
IBM Emeritus Jean Paul Jacob, a volunteer for the event with a great track record of participating in student events said, "Diversity, like interdisciplinarity, feeds innovation. What we saw with this group of high schoolers was a process which is working well and I felt that all of us at Almaden were catalystic agents, accelerating, motivating and facilitating the development of these students." He continued, "That is why I welcomed the invitation to keynote and, at the same time, from the students questions and remarks, learn that next generations have lots to offer, faster than previous ones."
Volunteer Alvaro Padilla also emphasized the importance of motivation as a factor in impacting these students' lives. "I think that motivation is a challenge for any student, but especially for those who lack the support or resources that are deemed as necessary to pursue - and eventually attain - a college degree," he said.
"I agreed to participate in this event because I think that it is important to inform all students, including those who have been historically under-represented in our undergraduate institutions, about the importance of an education, and how it leads to an enriched life - I know this from personal experience."
By engaging the students in these learning experiences, Gunn High School's leadership - and Monica - hope to inspire and prepare students, reminding them that high school is the beginning of an exciting journey; there are endless possibilities; and there are opportunities to impact the world in transformative ways. It turned out that visiting IBM Research - Almaden helped the students see a true representation of that.
"I hope that the messages they heard from each of the speakers resonated loud and clear -- college opens doors, education is invaluable, stay in school, study hard, then you can be anything you want to be," Michelle said.
More photos can be viewed here.
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