Last week, Fox Valley Technical College welcomed 52 girls to campus for GirlTech, a five-day summer camp that gives middle schoolers a chance to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
Girls ages 9 to 13 spent July 21-25 exploring welding, soldering, diesel engine work, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. The activities were led by women working in STEM, including employees from Plexus, Miller Electric and Kimberly-Clark.
The goal is simple: help young girls see what’s possible and encourage them to explore careers they might not have considered.
Each year, three FVTC alumni return to help run the camp: Olivia Arreola, Valarie Schwartz and Abby Frisk. All three studied welding and have since built careers in engineering.
Women continue to make gains in STEM, but there’s still a gap. According to the World Economic Forum, women made up just 28.2% of the global STEM workforce in 2024, compared to 47.3% in non-STEM fields.
FVTC hopes camps like GirlTech help change that by building early interest and confidence in STEM subjects.
Interested in learning more about each of their journeys at FVTC? Read more:
Valarie (Wojcik) Schwartz article
FVTC in the News:
WFRV-TV: GirlTech camp at Fox Valley Technical College empowers girls to explore STEM careers
