BB2C Sparks Creativity and Career Exploration at ETS Camp
Building Bridges to Careers (BB2C) partnered with Washington State College of Ohio’s Educational Talent Search (ETS) Camp for an exciting day of hands-on learning, creativity, and career exploration. ETS, a federally funded TRIO program, helps middle and high school students navigate their paths to college by focusing on academic, career, and personal development. BB2C’s visit aligned perfectly with this mission, engaging campers in activities that combined fun with future-focused learning.
Throughout the day, BB2C staff and interns led a variety of interactive sessions. Heather Miller, BB2C’s Communication & Engagement Coordinator, guided students through the “Entrepreneurship Mad-Lib Telephone” activity. Teams built creative business ideas, passing and refining them like a game of telephone. “It was great to see the students jump into new things while having fun with well-loved games like Mad Libs and Telephone,” said Miller. “They reflected thoughtfully on communication, entrepreneurship, and creativity.”
Kristi Leonard-Webber, BB2C’s Community & Career Connected Learning Coordinator, led tactile sessions with Lego mazes, straw towers, tangrams, and Perler Beads. “It was great to see the extreme focus of the kids as they ‘played’ throughout the day,” she shared.
BB2C intern Miles Young also jumped in to support hands-on learning. “It was great to see all of the kids making an effort to include everyone in their group with the activity they were participating in. I'm happy I was able to help this year. It was so much fun meeting all of the wonderful students.”
Meanwhile, Career Pathway Specialist Jenna Stewart brought energy and laughter to sessions like Career Quest and Murder Mystery. Career Quest had students work in a “company” to build the tallest free-standing tower that supports a ball, all while dealing with workplace difficulties handed to them by the spinning of a wheel. “.
“The students were wonderful, engaged, and great team players,” she noted. “As soon as I got out of my car I was greeted with a ‘Hey Miss Jenna!’ from across the parking lot.”With Ozobots, coding, and creativity led by Holly Hamrick, students left the day with sharpened skills, bright smiles, and new ideas about their futures. They had the chance to design pathways for their Ozobots, as well as design bags that reflected their personalities and artistic skills. “Creativity and design play into so many different careers, not to mention that the chance to create something can boost confidence and morale while calming the chaotic energy of middle school.”
Interested in connecting with BB2C to have our staff bring engaging activities, career exploration, and STEM-2-Go activities to your school, organization, or group? Reach out to us at info@bb2careers.org.