2018 Annual Report

ON THE JOB:
YOUTH EXPLORE STEM CAREERS
In 2018 Youth toured Mighty AI in Seattle, and locally, Dwayne Lane’s Skagit Ford, Skagit River Steel &
Recycling, Sierra Pacific Industries, Olmstead Transportation, and the Heritage Flight Museum
In 2018, members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit
County were able to visit several businesses in Skagit
County, and one in Seattle. These particular field trips
were part of Boys & Girls Clubs’ science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM) programs, led by Nathan Allen,
the Director of STEM Initiatives for Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit
County. The STEM Initiatives provide opportunities for middle
school and high school aged youth to learn about STEM
careers and gain skills related to professions in those fields.
In the weeks leading up to a tour, youth participated in activities
that taught them about the aspects of technology, manufacturing,
and engineering related to each destination.
Field trips let youth see how the skills gained at the Clubs
can be applied to “real life” jobs and also helps them pursue
their career goals and develop a plan to reach them. Additionally,
these tours get members out into the community
beyond the Club—an exciting change of pace, and usually
a memorable experience. “STEM education should always
be fun—that is major element of these tours,” says Allen.
Donning safety goggles, ear plugs, and helmets, youth
entering the sawmill at Sierra Pacific Industries were immediately
wowed. Ava Gage, a 6th grader from La Venture Club,
noted, “At first I was scared, but the tour was really cool!”
Sierra Pacific Industries is the second-largest lumber producer
in the United States and their sawmill in Burlington,
WA runs 22 hours a day with more than 180 employees.
Further, they operate entirely in-house, hiring engineers,
welders, accountants, and even programmers for software
they write and run. “The mill was incredibly stimulating,” said
Allen, “the saws are deafening, there’s a powerful scent of
saw dust, and logs are literally being torn apart and formed
into long planks by massive machines.”
Youth who visited Mighty AI, a Seattle-based tech start-up
that develops artificial intelligence for self-driving cars, got
some hands-on experience with seeing how Mighty AI’s software
interprets images. Club members took turns drawing
an outline on a computer and the software would create a
photographic-like image of cat within the boundaries of their
drawing. “I liked learning about how they are using mostly
physics” said Rhiannon, an 8th grader. One of the Mighty
AI presenters explained that calculus, linear algebra, and
physics are all used in the algorithms that work in artificial
intelligence. Club members also spent some time one-onone
with employees there, asking questions about how one
would pursue a career in this type of tech field. “The speed
networking was interesting and surprising,” remarked Zoey
from the Anacortes Club, “it was cool because I found out
why most of them work there.”
“I am my dad’s best helper,” Jenna says, “I
help him fix and load his truck.” On the way to
tour Olmsted Transportation, a major trucking
business in Skagit County, Jenna buzzed with
excitement about different kinds of trucks and
their various uses while using an impressive
breadth of trucking terminology.
During their tour of the Heritage Flight Museum, Club members
stuck their heads inside airplanes that escaped Pearl
Harbor, felt steel plating that protected soldiers from bullets,
and learned about the unique purpose of each plane. “My
favorite is the big green one,” said Nathaly, a 7th grade
member, referring to a massive WWII bomber. The tour of
the airport included an introduction to small private planes
where Club members were allowed to sit behind the controls
of a couple of airplanes and were shown basics of how to
operate them. The tour concluded with information on how
to enter aviation careers.
Jenna, a member of the Sedro-Woolley Club is a large truck
enthusiast. “I am my dad’s best helper,” Jenna says, “I help
him fix and load his truck.” On the way to tour Olmsted
Transportation, a major trucking business in Skagit County,
Jenna buzzed with excitement about different kinds of trucks
and their various uses while demonstrating an impressive
breadth of trucking terminology. Teens from the Club learned
about all the technology Olmsted uses to track drivers and
maintain their business and got a look under the hood and
inside some of the semi-trucks in the fleet.
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