LYNN – LEAP for Education had its showcase for its fifth annual Summer Work Program at the Salem State University Bertolon School of Business on Thursday. There, 60 students gave presentations on their final projects related to a career field of their choice.
The LEAP for Education Summer Work Program is a paid, 6-week program that gives Lynn and Salem high schoolers the opportunity to achieve hands-on career networking experience. Students are paired with a 1-on-1 volunteer mentor, and also attend career skills workshops and lectures from career experts.
Lynn Classical Highschool student Victor O said he is interested in making sports equipment in the future, so he constructed a series of bow and arrows to demonstrate their range and power.
“I’m drawn to engineering because I’m a visual learner who likes to stay on my toes. I was unsure what I wanted to do for a career at first, but the more I got into the program, the more I realized engineering could be for me,” he said.
KIPP Academy Lynn student Joseph L wants to major in computer science in college, and chose to create a horror game prototype for his project.
“It was challenging, but I love being able to see the fruits of my labor,” he said.
Joseph’s mentor was Elaine Webb, who is a Senior Quality Manager at Axcelis Technologies. She said the LEAP mentors make a “significant impact” by helping students with their studying methods and research techniques.
Carla R, who is a sophomore at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, expanded on her robotics project from last year’s program. This year, she added components to her model robot designed to clean the bottom of the sea.
“In America we have a lot of technology, and most of the time it works well, but there are areas for improvement. Humans tend to take from nature and let things deteriorate, so I created this project to help us take care of the planet,” she said.
Massachusetts Essex District House of Representatives member Jenny Armini supported the program by attending the presentations.
“I was so impressed with the research that went into the projects. You could see how excited they were about their subjects, and it was inspiring to hear about their backgrounds and why they chose their topics,” Armini said.
“My goal for Lynn students is to have them always dream big. And this program helps that,” she added.
