Teenagers pay it forward by looking back on Women in Engineering camp experience
by Kari Fox
When Ashley Tan traveled to Indonesia on a family trip, she had the opportunity to visit an orphanage. Beforehand, Tan’s Girl Scout troop raised money to buy Christmas presents for the children, many of whom were orphans from the 2004 tsunami.
“We were planning to buy them toys to play with,” said Tan, a freshman at Dublin Coffman High School. “But instead, they requested books and school supplies.”
When Tan arrived at the orphanage, there wasn’t a single toy in sight. Yet, she discovered that the children seemed to be perfectly happy singing songs and learning.
“Taking my unforgettable experiences from the orphanage in Indonesia, I believe that the way to significantly impact a child’s life is through education,” said Tan. “They were my inspiration to do something that would impact another child’s life.”
Kristie Sun, a sophomore at Columbus Academy, was inspired by her father’s childhood in a relatively poor area of China where education was not taken for granted.
“Through hard work, sheer determination, and a good amount of luck he was able to come to America for his graduate studies on a full scholarship,” she said.
Together, Sun and Tan converted inspiration into action by launching a non-profit organization called One Student At A Time.
The organization’s primary goal is to help underprivileged students access better educational opportunities and ensure that all students, regardless of financial ability, will be able to attend education camps.
Tan and Sun have raised money by selling raffle tickets and hosting a November 2012 charity concert. This year, they have donated the funds to support students who wish to attend Ohio State’s Women in Engineering (WiE) CHEER camp, a three-day summer program focused on chemical engineering for females going into the 9th grade.
Both Tan and Sun are former campers of the WiE CHEER camp. Tan said the fun and stimulating fieldtrips at camp are what she enjoyed the most.
“We both wanted to give back to the community,” said Sun. “We decided the best way to help would be through a nonprofit organization and thus, One Student At A Time was born.”
WiE CHEER is designed to give participants an in-depth look at important research areas and concepts within the field of chemical engineering. Each day, the program combines a field trip to an area business with a series of fun, hands-on activities. The off-campus field trips allow participants to see what chemical engineers do in the "real world," while the on-campus activities enable students to imagine themselves as practicing chemical engineers.
“One particular field trip that struck me was the visit to Ashland Chemical," said Tan. "I met women engineers and learned about the numerous types of jobs that chemical engineers can do. It made me feel that engineering could be a feasible career option for me because of the broad range of duties that a chemical engineer performs.”
Shawna Fletcher, interim director of Ohio State's WiE Program describes Tan and Sun’s drive as “extraordinary.”
“They thought of the idea themselves and contacted us to be sure other students could benefit,” said Fletcher. “This speaks not only to their upbringing, but their incredible sense of ‘paying-it-forward.’ They are remarkable young women.”
As a result of Tan and Sun’s contribution, two students will receive scholarships to attend this year’s WiE CHEER camp.
“Every child should have the privilege to achieve their dreams,” said Tan.
WiE CHEER 2013 is scheduled for June 12th - June 14th and is sponsored by Ashland, Inc., on behalf of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and PPG Industries.
If you would like to emulate Ashley and Kristie’s spirit and contribute your own gift to Women in Engineering K-12 initiatives, please click here.
