Summer at Oxnard College
During the summer at Oxnard College the doors swing open to welcome over 250 middle and secondary students from throughout the Oxnard plains. They get a taste of an authentic college experience in the labs and classrooms. There are three free programs: TRIO Upward Bound, OC STEM Viewfinder and FYE Summer Bridge partnership with CLU and CSUCI. They range from two week to six week programs.
Director Gonzalez describes the FYE Summer Bridge Partnership that serves about 100 middle and secondary students, “Middle school students get a glimpse of their future by having a real college experience. During the three week program they are taught by college professors and even have a class at the marine center where they collect kelp samples and study them in the lab under a high powered microscope.” Thirty alums are now high schoolers who continue to participate as summer college students using dual enrollment to get both high school and college credit for classes like American Sign Language.
OC STEM’s Viewfinder program hosts over 90 local rising 9th-12th graders from nearly 20 different schools During this two week program they build robots, work in the chemistry lab, design with a 3D printer and code an arduino. Professor Miller teaches the engineering session, “These wonderful students just dive right into the activities. They are here to get things done and have a good time while they learn. It’s fantastic to see how ‘up for the challenge’ they are! HIgh school participant Ashin Kaur said, “This has been such a great experience and it has helped me develop a love for STEM and make friends too. Now I have a better idea of what my resources are for STEM and here at OC. I just learned that I really like engineering!”
The TRIO Upward Bound program serves 70 first generation students attending Channel Islands and Hueneme high schools. The six-week summer program is taught by Oxnard College faculty. Students are immersed in science laboratory, English, Foreign Language, and mathematics courses. Upward Bound Senior, Beyoncee comments, “With Upward Bound, I found a family who will guide me through life, and provide me with knowledge that will serve as a catalyst in making me into an individual ready to conquer the limitless world.”
