GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Thousands of middle school students had a high tech field trip on Tuesday, testing out electronics, robotics, computers and more at Tech Week Grand Rapids.
The educational event, whose focus was introducing students to STEM, was held at the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse at Grand Rapids Community College.
"If we don't get students hooked on STEM, they're not going to have the confidence to do it later in life," said Dr. Kristi Haik, dean of the college's School of STEM.
"I want every student in this room to leave knowing they can do STEM, they can do math," Haik said. "It's for everybody."
While those in sixth, seventh and eighth grade may not be making college or career decisions in the near future, those days will come.
"This is just exploration," said Jeff Simon, principal of Forest Hills Central Middle School. "It's not just about those who are interested in tech, it's about those that who don't even know they are interested in tech."
Those local companies with a presence at the fieldhouse, including Amway and Steelcase, say top of the line tech plays a role in nearly every profession.
At the Bank of America, for example, new employees receive job training through virtual reality headsets. On Tuesday, students tried out the immersive tech themselves through a "custom Metaverse experience."
"These kids are getting a great experience today. We're just happy to be part of it.," Brandon Spangler, a consumer banking market leader for Bank of America, said.
Jobs for Generation Alpha are going to look different than they did for past generations.
A pair of seventh grade students at Forest Hills Central say they're comfortable with the ever-advancing technology that will likely come with their careers.
"I'm excited," Evann Rodal said. "You're going out to this world and figuring out what you want to do."
"The AI stuff was pretty cool and creative," Amin Kotbi said. "It's not scary. I like it a lot."
