Teens get 'paid to do fun stuff' and learn about science at Roxbury Community College
ROXBURY - A group of teens in Roxbury is spending the summer exploring different STEM fields -- and getting paid for it.
"It's a lot more fun than working somewhere else," said science instructor and program coordinator Ken Presley.
Program participant Phenix "AJ" Hamilton agrees. "You get paid to do fun stuff. You get paid to do science."
That's exactly what 30 teens were doing at Roxbury Community College this summer: getting paid through a city grant to learn different areas in STEM.
"When you're exposing them to these topics, you never know which one they're going to like. All it takes is one thing, and that could change their life and what they do for the rest of their lives," Presley said.
Teens focus on 10 different hands-on topics ranging from, biology with dissections and 3-D printing to robotics, virtual reality and even drones.
"It was really fun. The teacher taught us how to use the drones, and then we went outside and basically just flew them around," Hamilton said.
The program says there are not enough trained workers to fill Boston's life science jobs - especially workers of color from diverse neighborhoods. So getting these students interested early can help lead them toward careers they may not have thought about.
"Science is the future of the world. Without science, you know, these computers and all these other things that people take for granted every day, that's how it happens"
For Hamilton, his interest is space. "I like science, like, a lot - and tech. Ever since I was a kid, I just wanted to be an astronaut and stuff. I really, really liked science"
He even has a plan for the money he's making from the program. "I want to get a telescope, like, one of those fancy telescopes"
However students choose to use their money, ultimately, the program has a goal - to change their lives.
"Just so they understand that science is important. Science makes a difference," Presley said.