Students from Ingraham High School and Nathan Hale HS participated in an IGNITE field trip on April 4th, 2017 to REI headquarters in Bellevue, WA. There students had the opportunity to meet women working in the STEM field and work alongside them. Students were asked to use critical thinking skills to solve problems that might arise in everyday situations such as:
- How to outfit an outdoor enthusiast with the proper equipment
- Register an enthusiast for an REI class online if the register button is broken
- Help REI use their data and customer information to devise marketing strategies
- Troubleshoot if customers can’t connect to in-store Wi-fi and if they connect it’s very slow
Throughout the day students were working closely with REI staff to complete the problem solving activity. At the end of the activity students were able to practice their public speaking skills by presenting their problem and solutions to the whole group. I thought this was such a valuable part of the activity because many of my students who struggle with public speaking were able to share their ideas in a safe and encouraging environment. I was proud to see students working to strengthen their communications and presentation skills. Overall, this was a great opportunity for these young ladies and an invaluable learning experience.
Thank you to all REI staff who made this event happen and for those who took the time to eat lunch with students!
Thoughts from the students
- I loved solving the problems we were given.
- The activity was fun!
- I loved brainstorming ideas and problem solving!
- I liked the question panel. It inspired me to hear how others started working at REI.
- All the women worked hard and took the road less traveled. I love how welcoming this company is. The activity we did was really stimulating.
- I loved the problem solving that we had to do with our groups.
- The problem solving was very interesting and inspiring. Everything ran smoothly!
- I liked the hands on experience.
- This was perfect. I liked to hear everyone’s story and how they go to where they are today.
- I liked the activities that gave insight on what it’s like to work in the STEM industry, with specific examples.
- The panel at the end was very helpful and the women were very enjoyable to listen to.
- This event was really great.
- I enjoyed seeing a bit of the work environment
The students really enjoyed this trip and were all very happy and enthusiastic about the day! They all agreed that they would love to return again and encourage others to take advantage of the opportunity to visit.
After this event:
100% were more interested in a degree in STEM
75% were inspired to study harder to attend college and and further their education
58% were interested in taking a STEM related course next semester
