IGNITE Students from Cascade Middle School embarked on an amazing IGNITE Program Field Trip Event to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure on November 7, 2023. The event brought together 30 bright students from grades 7-8 with IGNITE Volunteers from Oracle and took place at the Oracle Seattle office. The day featured tours of five office floors, a work-life presentation, a tech activity, and an Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) panel discussion, with an impressive lineup of Volunteers to enrich the experience.
To close out the day, students engaged in a panel discussion featuring Raven Robertson, Senior Site Reliability Engineer; Sue Golemme Lozure, Director of Technical Program Management, Cloud Engineering; Yashashvi Dave, Security Engineer; and Konka Shi, Software Engineer, each of whom shared a visual aid to make their stories more tangible. The students’ questions during the panel, ranging from job satisfaction to career choices and salary considerations, showcased their interest and curiosity. The Panelists’ responses brought valuable insights
The IGNITE Field Trip to Oracle’s Seattle office left an indelible mark on the students. The event seamlessly blended insight with excitement, thanks to the passionate volunteers.
Thank you to the incredible team that made this event an outstanding success. Abinaya K Segar, Adedamola Adebayo, Arpita Sakhuja, Bhagyashree Shetty, Bhavani Arutla, Cecilia Penalba, Erika Shen, Janet Durnford, Jodi Garcia, Kanika Mishra, Kelly Cheng, Konka Shi, Kirsten Holte, Kristi Lee, Matai Curzon, Pallavi Ghosh, Prachi Maheshwari, Rachel Gray, Raven Robertson, Sabrina Huwang, Sue Golemme Lozure, Tina Le, Tricia Fisk, and Yashashvi Dave, your dedication as Tour Guides, Presenters, Panelists, Organizers, and Volunteers brought immense value to the event and your enthusiasm and expertise left a lasting impression on the students of Cascade Middle School. Marie Sorell and Jessica Bradley planned this event down to the last detail, recruited volunteers, and lent their considerable expertise to the activities and coordination.
A special shoutout to Nathan Lommen and Nadia Counter, IGNITE Educators who supported this event. Thank you all for making this IGNITE Worldwide Program Event an inspiring and memorable occasion!
After attending this event:
86%
of students are interested in STEM
76%
of students know more about STEM career choices and the benefits of working in a STEM field
74%
of students feel more confident in pursuing STEM
80%
of students gained perspective and feel more hopeful about the future
Here’s what the students thought of the event:
“This experience inspired me to try new things and showed me there are opportunities to find a job in STEM.” – 7th Grade IGNITE Student
“This event helped me. Thank you to the volunteers for sharing and teaching us things that could help us in the future.” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“Today’s event inspired me a lot because now I can see how I would fit into STEM, and there are many jobs in STEM.” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“It was fun to learn about STEM and different types of technology. The music activity was very interesting, and it had many stories behind it. Thank you, volunteers, for explaining what it all means.” – 7th Grade IGNITE Student
“Today, I was inspired by how open with potential these jobs are. They seem important. Thank you for making me feel welcome!” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“Today’s event inspired me to find a career that allows for a lot of freedom. Freedom is very important in a career simply because it allows you to be you. I learned important advice – 1. Find something that lets you be as flexible as possible. 2. Lots of areas in STEM do not require you to actively work on coding. 3. Life changes, and adventuring through your interests is the whole point.” – 7th Grade IGNITE Student
“This event gave us what we wanted and needed, which is information about jobs and careers. I know not to give up on what I want to be when I’m older. Thank you so much for today. I learned so much and had lots of fun!” – 7th Grade IGNITE Student
“This inspired me to try out STEM courses in college and also let me know that I don’t need to know the career I will choose but can try it out.” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“Today inspired me to try and continue to work in STEM.” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“This was a really fun experience, and I know a lot more about STEM. I thank everyone for today.” – 7th Grade IGNITE Student
“This event showed me that not all STEM jobs require intensive labor. I feel more open to taking a technology-related job. Getting a job does not need to take a lifetime of dedication.” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“Today inspired me because I now know that there are women in jobs like these. I learned to follow my dreams and that it’s okay not to know what you want your career to be yet. Thank you so much!” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“This event inspired me because I now know there are different positions in STEM. It doesn’t sound as hard as I thought to work in tech.” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“Today showed me there are a lot of opportunities in STEM. I loved the tour, the people, and the building.” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“This event inspired me to learn more and more about STEM. One important thing I learned is that STEM is not only about tech; you can also write.” – 7th Grade IGNITE Student
“This experience inspires me to work hard and achieve my dreams. I learned about tech and careers. It made me realize I can achieve my dreams.” – 7th Grade IGNITE Student
“This event was awesome and interesting. Thanks to everyone!” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“Today’s event inspired me through sharing the stories of other women. My takeaway today was seeing different rooms in this building.” – 8th Grade IGNITE Student
“This event inspired me to try new things and to look for more opportunities. My takeaway is the many opportunities you have working in STEM.” – 7th Grade IGNITE Student
About Oracle Cloud Infrastructure:
Oracle is a company that’s innovating technology solutions to global challenges that affect billions of lives. Oracle champions diversity and inclusion in everything they do and thrives on rich experiences and perspectives from everyone.
About IGNITE Program Field Trip Events:
IGNITE Field Trips offer a memorable, behind-the-scenes look at STEM in action and the wide range of career opportunities at the host company. Company employees interact directly with the students through an office tour, hands-on STEM activities, and IGNITE Panel and Q&A discussion.
About IGNITE Worldwide:
IGNITE Worldwide is a 501(c)3 nonprofit STEM education organization that aims to change gender and racial equity in STEM permanently and systematically. We work directly with teachers during the school day to provide programming that promotes gender equity and representation in STEM academics and careers. Through our award-winning program, IGNITE provides engaging, hands-on events that connect students with STEM professionals from industry leaders from around the world. Learn more at www.igniteworldwide.org.
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