Non-traditional education and career paths explored at WCC
Upcoming workshops at Whatcom Community College will introduce middle school students to non-traditional education and career paths. The March 4 “Guys and Guts” and April 22 “Girls Go Tech” programs allow 11-14 year-olds to learn about the worlds of healthcare and technology respectively through thought-provoking activities. The workshops also include information sessions for parents wanting to learn more about access to college and WCC’s professional-technical programs.
Register now for the 9 a.m.-3 p.m. March 4 Guys and Guts event held at Whatcom’s state-of-the-art Health Professions Education Center. The workshop highlights medically oriented fields, offering participants an opportunity to take part in a number of hands-on activities related to health professions including drawing ‘blood’ from an artificial arm, measuring lung capacity, ‘resuscitating’ a simulation mannequin, measuring blood pressure and much more. The $10 workshop fee covers one middle school boy and his parent or guardian. Registration includes hands-on labs, lunch for two, T-shirt for the student, campus scavenger hunt, presentations, and career and educational information.
For more information, email lgardner@whatcom.edu or call 360.383.3193. Register online at the event website, whatcom.edu/guysandguts. Registration deadline is Feb. 28. Space is limited.
Enrollment is also open for the April 22 Girls Go Tech workshop, which offers an interactive approach to learning more about technology-related programs at WCC. In hands-on labs, students will experiment with Raspberry Pi computers, information security vulnerabilities and safeguards, and various energy sources. The girls will also meet special guest speaker Dr. Regina Barber DeGraaff, professor of physics and astronomy at Western Washington University.
Similar in format to Guys and Guts, the Girls Go Tech workshop fee covers one middle school girl and her parent or guardian. For more information, email lgardner@whatcom.edu or call 360.383.3193. Register online at the event website, whatcom.edu/girlsgotech. Registration deadline is April 18. Space is limited.
These workshops are made possible by funds from the Carl D. Perkins Act and generous donations from Bellingham Central Lion’s Club, Bellingham Rotary and other local service organizations.
About Whatcom: Whatcom Community College is a regionally and nationally accredited two-year college with an accomplished faculty and staff who serve 11,000 students annually. On its campus in Bellingham, Wash., and through online courses, Whatcom offers transfer and professional-technical degrees as well as basic education, job skills training, and community and continuing education classes. The College will offer a BAS degree in IT Networking, beginning fall 2017. Based on student outcomes, the Aspen Institute recognizes Whatcom as one of the top community and technical colleges in Washington and among the nation’s leading two-year colleges. The College is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017. For more information, visit whatcom.edu/50.
Contact: Mary Vermillion, Whatcom Community College PIO, 360.383.3310, pio@whatcom.edu
