TIQAD hosts VSU STEAM L.I.T. students

FORT LEE, Va. – Highlighting Army career opportunities was the goal of the Virginia State University Unite STEAM Leaders in Training visit June 5, hosted by U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command G3/5/7 Training Integration and Quality Assurance Division.

The four-week course provided 24 high-school freshmen through juniors from within a 45–50-mile radius of the university, the opportunity to understand Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) in real-life situations.

“Through our College of Education, it's one of our signature summer programs,” said Dr. Michael Rainey, site manager, VSU STEAM L.I.T. “The goal of the program is to either introduce or enhance students’ interest in STEAM as far as what they may want to major in in college, as well as career aspirations.”

Starting in 2020 at VSU, the Army Educational Outreach Program-sponsored program has included TIQAD with the goal of introducing the students to possible career opportunities with the Army as a civilian and in uniform.

“It provided exposure to talented high school STEAM students, who are already showing interested in the STEM path and helped raise awareness of the diverse career paths available within the Army, particularly at Fort Lee,” said Perpetua Petersen, TIQAD training specialist (Operations). “Students met civilians and military personnel in those fields and demonstrated innovation through showcasing advancement in science, technology, engineering, and artificial intelligence.”

CASCOM continuously finds ways to improve what information is provided to the students, providing information from different career fields, showcasing innovative and latest technology in the classrooms, according to Peterson.

This year, the visit started with a scavenger hunt at the Ordnance Training Facility to find STEM-related innovations in the displays. The students then received briefings on Army military and civilian careers. They finished with demonstrations from the CASCOM G3/5/7 Training Technology Division.

“In addition to the focus on STEAM, the L.I.T acronym - Leaders in Training, we also focused on developing and enhancing leadership skills,” said Rainey. “We'll did all type of things as it relates to like business skills, like resume writing, interview skills, teamwork, collaboration, dressing for success. They had a leadership project where they had to create an organization at their high school.”

Rainey explained that the students had to contact their school and learn the process of creating an organization, then brainstorm to create something that serves an unserved demographic at their school. They used their skills to create something that hopefully they will continue to follow not just for the duration of camp.

“I wanted to be in this program because I felt like it would help me deepen my horizons on my career and what I wanted to do,” said Michelle Dockey, Highland Springs High School sophomore who wants to be an orthodontist. “I gained a better understanding and met people who also have the same interests and get a better perspective on it.”

Rainey added that there's misperception about what the Army is and what the Army does. “We (VSU) are appreciative of the partnership that we've had with CASCOM and ACCMA (Army Civilian Career Management Activity), as well as, thankful to the Army Educational Outreach Program and Unite for the opportunity to have this grant.”

CASCOM and VSU benefit from partnership. “It provides a potential jump start in some of the student’s interest that may not have exposure to anyone in the federal government,” said Peterson.