The Project CAMINOS STEM Summer Academy at Cal Poly Pomona, supported by the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative, expanded equitable access to hands-on STEM learning for high school students across Los Angeles, providing robotics, architecture and other immersive experiences that help students see college as within reach and themselves as active learners on a university campus.

Through targeted outreach that increased participation by women-identifying students and opened the Academy to ninth graders for the first time, participants reported greater confidence, broader understanding of STEM fields and a strengthened sense of belonging—critical precursors to long-term persistence and degree attainment. Peer ambassadors and family engagement further enhanced students' connection to the learning environment, illustrating how coordinated cross-sector programs can transform traditional pathways by making them more relevant, inclusive and engaging for students who might otherwise lack exposure to higher education opportunities. Learn more about this L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative supported effort here.

For more information, please reach out to Carrie Lemmon, Senior Vice President, Systems Change Strategy at UNITE-LA, at [email protected].