The SAMPE Foundation sponsored 100 students from the Girls Academic Leadership Academy in Los Angeles, CA to experience SAMPE 2018, which took place May 21-24, 2018 in Long Beach, California.
GALA opened in August 2016 with grades six through nine and will grow a grade per year to eventually become a full SPAN (grades 6-12) school by the 2019-20 school year. They welcome all girls within the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) who are committed to a highly rigorous, college preparatory curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Elizabeth Keilty, a STEM teacher at GALA, advocated for the field trip on behalf of her students. The SAMPE outing began with an introductory tutorial on composites, instructed by Dr. Ashley Tracey, an engineer with The Boeing Company. Immediately following her tutorial, students engaged in a question and answer panel of women engineers – Michelle Johnson, Lockheed Martin; Sayata Ghose, The Boeing Company, and Keran Dhillon, Solvay – who answered their questions about engineering and pursuing careers in STEM. Following the presentation, the group toured the SAMPE 2018 exhibition hall, viewing student competition, interactive displays, and encouraging exhibitors.
The GALA visit was underwritten by the new SAMPE Foundation’s new Special Awards Program.