Katie Leadership Impact (KLI) business camp featured a capstone poster presentation for students to practice the skills they learned over the week. Photo by Tara Sloane.
Who says that summer is just for sunshine and sleeping in?
At ż, the summer months mean groups of middle and high schoolers on campus launching rockets, designing fashion, storyboarding original business ideas — and potentially discovering future career paths. With camps that mixed hands-on fun with real-world skills, these young learners got a sneak peak at college life and a head start on chasing their dreams.
Three different programs were available this summer. Run by Katie Leadership Impact (KLI) and the School of Business, the Katie Leadership Impact Summer Business Camp: Identity and Belonging explored the intersections between business, identity, and belonging. The STEM Academy Summer Camp allowed middle schoolers to fully immerse themselves in science and technology, and high schoolers at the Fashion Summer Workshop experienced career options offered in the world of fashion.
“These summer camps and workshops are more than just enrichment; they are launchpads,” said Anupama Pasricha, PhD, dean of the School of Business. “They bring joy, ignite curiosity, help students explore fields of study, and build a bridge to college by uncovering passions, sharpening skills, and inspiring confidence for the future.”
Building excitement for prospective college students
Hosted on ż’s campus, each program encouraged campers’ interests in different fields and provided exposure to skills involved in those careers.
Hands-on activities allowed campers to dip their toes into STEM and fashion. STEM students learned to code, visited a planetarium, 3D printed key chains, and experimented with the effect of temperature on the chemical reaction in glow sticks. Students attending the fashion workshop scoped out and curated fashion trends, sketched fashion figures, learned how to drape designs on mannequins, upcycled denim projects, met with working industry professionals, and left the week with portfolio essentials showing their daily hands-on activities, including images of them modeling their upcycled garments.
Meanwhile, a highlight for many campers at the KLI business camp was their field trip to the Mall of America. On this trip, campers took a tour of the facility and attended a seminar in which employees from the marketing department shared about their experiences working in marketing.
In addition to discovering the intricacies of different fields, attending different classes and seminars on campus also gave participants a taste of the college experience. High schoolers at the business camp got to know ż’s with campus tours and meetings with School of Business faculty and the Office of Admissions. Likewise, current ż’s students served as mentors for each camp, allowing middle and high schoolers to connect with current college students and gain insight into undergraduate studies in their fields.
Students attending the KLI business camp ended the week with small group presentations on original business ideas. Photo by Tara Sloane.
Students attending the KLI business camp ended the week with small group presentations on original business ideas. Photo by Tara Sloane.
Students attending the KLI business camp ended the week with small group presentations on original business ideas. Photo by Tara Sloane.
The business camp awarded each camper certificates for their completion of the camp. Photo by Tara Sloane.
The field trip to the Mall of America was a highlight for many at the business camp. Photo provided.
One of the many activities at the STEM Academy Summer Camp included experimenting with the effect of temperature on glowsticks. Photo by Isabella Norcross '25.
Inspiring both campers and student mentors
For many of the ż’s students who were camp mentors, motivating young women to explore their career interests and build crucial skills was a big draw.
“As someone passionate about women’s health and empowerment, I saw this role as an opportunity to create a safe, affirming space where high school students could explore leadership, identity, and self-worth,” said Diadou Sall ’25, a mentor at the KLI camp.
Campers developed strong leadership skills through public speaking and community, identity, and belonging workshops, geared toward building an inclusive and open space for all identities.
“One of the biggest highlights was watching the students open up and grow more confident in sharing their thoughts and identities, especially during the workshop on public speaking, where they got to practice sharing their voices and encourage their peers to do the same!” said Sall.
Diadou Sall '25 (right) with one of the business campers. Photo provided.
Similarly, fashion workshop seminars emphasized social responsibility, design, and representation techniques that increase access to the fashion industry.
“Fashion is so much more than simply making pretty clothes… it is our chosen skin and can be used to improve peoples’ lives and health,” said Carol Mager, assistant professor of fashion design and fashion workshop director.
The STEM camp stressed the importance of sustaining young girls’ interest in the sciences. Women tend to leave STEM fields at earlier stages of their education or careers, discouraged by lack of representation and equitable resources. At ż’s, the STEM Academy Summer Camp is led by an all-women team of faculty and student mentors to provide girls with positive, motivating role models.
“To be in a women’s science space is really powerful,” said Tami McDonald, PhD, associate professor of biology and director of the STEM Academy Summer Camp. “This age is a primary time for young girls to leave STEM because they lack role models or a sense of belonging. This experience allows for girls to be with other girls and women in an empowering environment.” By exposing girls to a women’s science space and uplifting them, the goal is to show them that they belong in STEM and play important roles in their fields.
The windows looking into the labs in Mendel's basement were decorated with colorful drawings for the STEM Academy Summer Camp. Photo by Isabella Norcross '25.
The summer camps aimed not only to uplift the campers, but their college-aged mentors as well. Alongside building leadership skills, being a mentor encourages Katies to recognize the strengths in their own abilities and continue building knowledge. This was especially apparent at the STEM camp as, according to McDonald, college is also a prime time for young women to be discouraged from sticking with STEM due to a lack of sense of belonging.
“I did not always have a passion for STEM in my youth. Even during my first year of college, I still wasn’t sure if chemistry was for me,” said Naturelle Vang ’25, a recent chemistry graduate who worked with the STEM summer camp for all four of her years at ż’s. “When I joined the STEM summer camp the first time, my experience solidified and enhanced my decision to continue and commit to chemistry. I realized I enjoyed STEM!”
Upcoming Katie Leadership Impact event
- November 16: Katie Leadership Impact teams up with The O’Shaughnessy to host Aftermath, a collaboration with voices of ż’s student body and local Twin Cities artists to explore healing, resilience and collective action through movement and storytelling. A dynamic discussion panel with artists, activists, and cultural leaders follows.