SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Twenty-Five middle school students from the Vista Unified School District got a look at the jobs of the future Tuesday.
They took a tour of Solatube, a business in the Vista Industrial Complex, to teach them about all the different possible careers available to them in STEM fields.
“I’m obsessed with math and science,” said Kimberly Delacruz, a 7th grader at Vista Innovation & Design Academy. “So I think it’s really cool that I can come here and see what they do.”
The company makes light fixtures that harness the sun to light homes and buildings.
But more than the science, this was about showing the diversity of opportunity.
“I want to show them that we just have people like them that work here,” said Solatube President Bob Westfall.
“If you’re friendly, good at math, or science, you can apply that and work at a company like this.”
The School District set the program up with the Vista Chamber of Commerce, to get kids thinking about their careers as soon as possible.
Chamber CEO Bret Schanzenback says most kids already have a career in mind by the time they leave high school.
“We want to take them out into the real world, broaden their perspective on what it really means to do some of these STEM careers and get them to touch it, feel it, see it up close and personal and get much better awareness.“
The kids saw it as more than just a field trip.
“This just opened a new window for me,” said Noelle Burns, a Rancho Minerva Middle School 8th grader.
“There’s so many different things to do here. It’s amazing,” added Madison MS 7th Grader Zoe Sanchez. “Anyone can find something, even if you’re not into science.”
The district hopes to expand the program to 15 more businesses this spring.
