Community Column: Free virtual Summer Programs

As an institution of higher education, Palo Alto College is deeply committed to the transformational power of education. In order to fully develop the potential of children in our community, Palo Alto College embraces the fact that education starts at birth, and learning is a value that needs to be nurtured and sustained throughout a person’s life.

Palo Alto College has made incredible efforts to expand access to education, including early college high schools and dual credit, and we have even more opportunity to continue to build relationships with students before they are in high school to ensure they always know college is an option for them.

As Palo Alto College is operating remotely through the summer, our annual Summer Programs will be offered virtually. The programs are designed to expose children to a college environment through age-appropriate activities across various disciplines. Each week, our community’s youth will be able to access a variety of themed activities from home through a combination of live Zoom sessions and pre-recorded videos that can be streamed at their leisure.

This year’s camps offer a variety of themes from interactive theatre arts and physical activities, along with hands-on sessions in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, our robust STEM-related camp offerings are designed to introduce students to diverse careers in STEM fields including biology, chemistry, engineering, space science, computer programming, and artificial intelligence. To learn more and register for camps, visit xgcr.net/pac/summer-programs.

Providing a summer camp experience for all ages aligns with our mission of empowering our students and community for leadership and success, and we remain committed to providing these opportunities as we operate remotely. Our collective focus will continue to be providing all students with every resource possible, so they can be successful throughout their educational journey and be prepared for any and all future endeavors.

This column by Dr. Robert Garza, president of Palo Alto College, was originally published in the San Antonio Express-News' Southside Reporter and mysanantonio.com.

Related content: 
"Palo Alto College offers free summer programs" - Wilson County News, June 9, 2020