My son has loved building stuff since he was a little boy. Hands on doing projects while solving problems is the best way of learning for him. The TESI program gave him the opportunity to explore many different aspects of engineering fields and helped him make the decision of his major. He really enjoyed the environment, working with his peers and the opportunities he has. As parents, we feel confident that he has a clear goal of what he wants to be, and had made the right decision for his future career. Thanks for the opportunity presented to us at the right moment. I’d highly recommend the TESI program to anyone who hasn’t yet made the decision on what their future careers will be. Attending the program. Learning by doing the projects. Solving problems with other students at your age. It’s a lot of fun! Whether you’ll be an engineer or not, you’ll enjoy this experience for sure.

–Karen

TryEngineering it has had such a positive impact on my daughter. TESI permitted her to have a better understanding for what engineering is and how present it is throughout the world. It permitted her to explore different fields of engineering and strengthen her love for engineering. Additionally, academically she has become more confident due to being able to have a better understanding of engineering. As a parent it has shown me how my daughter can be independent and her ambition to keep on leaning. I hope that this opportunity continues to be open to future families because it truly does make a difference in our world. Thank you!

–Laura

 

Very organized, safely run, good blend of learning and fun activities.

–Marina

 

Luke thoroughly enjoyed TESI and returned from the camp with a spring in his step. The program cemented his belief that he can do it, and he has since applied to study engineering at university and has already been accepted to a couple of his top choices. Luke found the atmosphere uplifting, the content fun and the field trip really amazing. The staff were attentive and engaging.

I encourage any child who is curious about the world of engineering to consider TESI. It was a very rewarding experience for our son, and we were so grateful that he could gain confidence in his choice for the future in such a wonderful setting.

–Hilary

 

Connor had an amazing time at camp. His experience there helped narrow his focus, and he has become very interested in electrical engineering, which hadn't really been on his radar before. He's been putting together several projects on his own involving electrical engineering. As parents, we appreciate the real-world experiences he was able to have in different areas of engineering. Neither of us are engineers and we don't have engineers in our family, but that is what Connor has always wanted to be. Camp was a wonderful opportunity for him to see whether he really did want to be an engineer, and for him, camp strengthened that career goal.

Thank you for putting on a great program!

–Stacey

Mari enjoyed the camp at Rice University very much. We made a wooden version of the hydraulic arm after she got home. She is continuing her path taking Chemistry and Engineering II this year. She also is participating in the Virginia Space Coast Scholars program, which is an on-line class developed by NASA and Old Dominion University. Hopefully she will excel in the class and get the opportunity to spend a week at NASA’s Wallops Island facility this summer. The camp at Rice University also exposed her to other girls with similar interests from across the country. She learned about asking “where are you from ?” and ” what ethnicity do you identify with?” while forming a friendship with a Muslim girl from New York and a Hindu girl form California. She really enjoyed the camp, particularly the experiences of staying on campus and visiting the Johnson space center.

–Martin

 

My son had an engaging and fun experience...we never heard from him so we knew he was enjoying it!

–Tammy

 

​This summer was an incredible experience for my son. From start to finish the program was well run and thoughtfully planned.

–Mallory

 

The engineer panel was extremely impactful in helping my student feel reassured on her path towards college and beyond. My daughter enjoyed each minute of the camp. They have activities planned all day. The field trip was incredible. It was way above my expectations.

- Addison

 

It was an incredible learning experience for my daughter. The coordinators were very kind and went the extra mile to achieve a healthy and quality environment for her.

- Brianna

 

Based on my child's experience, the camp,  in general, was definitely a positive experience. My daughter had a great time and was grateful for the experience. I am sure she made a few life long friends & had some unforgettable memories. This camp helped my introverted child come out of her comfort zone,  allowed her to experience what  life attending a  real university would feel like and gave her a small degree of independence living away from home . I think your organization does an overall fantastic job with this summer camp!

- Constantine

I have noticed a great change in my daughter after the camp, much more mature, more sure of herself, she acquired many new knowledge. Happy return for the experience, both of the knowledge it acquired and the treatment of all the camp coordinators.  It is an invaluable experience, I recommend it to 110%.

- Martina

 

 

This was a great experience for our son. He enjoyed meeting like minded people and the staff was amazing! Our son became more confident in himself as an engineered minded individual. This program was one of the best things we have ever put our son in and words can not do justice for the amount of knowledge, confidence, and friendships he gained.

- anon parent 2023

 

My son Santiago really enjoyed the hands-on projects working in teams. He enjoyed exchanging ideas with other students. He was finally able to talk to a group of students that had similar interests in engineering instead of other students that aren’t interested and don’t understand engineering related concepts.

- Viviana

 

Very well organized camp. Our son really enjoys it. He said he learnt so much from the camp. For parents, this was the 1st time our son was away from home. Antonio, the camp director at Penn, was very nice. He answered all our concerns. We can call him anytime to ask about our boy.

- Johanna

 

My son had an amazing time. He was paired up perfectly with his roommates which made a huge difference in his experience. Also, the outings were enjoyable. He said he liked the projects and free time. My son said, "That was the best camp I've ever been too!"

- Susan

 

My son enjoyed it, and was engaged and excited about the projects. I think he learned new things, got to show his own prowess and knowledge on a few fronts, and cemented his desire to go into engineering. I think putting a high school kid on a college campus to make it 'no big deal' and wipe out future intimidation factors, and to just make it his assumption that he'll be living in a dorm some day is huge for him.

- Carolyn

 

This was a good way for my son to really “try engineering”, to see what it is like to work in groups when you don’t always see eye to eye and to see our responses at the last day presentation that adults experience this too, to have the desire to finish projects and experience obstacles and time constraints. He found like-minded friends here. All of this is helping him direct his path forward.

- Jill

This camp allowed my child to learn more about engineering and helped him to confirm the area of engineering he wants to go into. He is excited about engineering and he loved the camp. He rated it 10/10. Not only did he enjoy the classes and the tours, the residential experience was great. He made friends that he continues to talk to and play online with after the camp. He felt that the TryEngineering camp not only helped him in making concrete his love for engineering, but also helped him socially

- Jose-Maria

 

TryEngineering brought out the best in my son. The program and staff were phenomenal. There were so many wonderful opportunities and communication building. My son felt like he was part of team! Thank you TryEngineering. Please keep up the good work. It really makes a difference.

- Thomas

 

At first, I had zero interest in the camp because I thought engineering is not what I wanted to do with my life. But to be completely honest, I had no idea what engineering was really about which is solving problems with teamwork for the greater good. As the camp when on, I started to really understand engineering and my interest for it grew. I am still not sure what I want to do with my life but engineering is definitely going to be an option.

- Gracie

 

 

I liked it because I learned about different types of engineering and the thought processes that go into engineering when presented with an idea and how to go about solving it. I enjoyed the people that were doing the program along with me and they made the experience better.

I enjoyed the Summer Institute because I feel like I learned more than just engineering. I was able to learn how to communicate well with others and how to get to work with anyone. I enjoyed the connect I had with the rest of the members and the RAs. I really felt like home and enjoyed everyday of the summer camp.

Finally, I enjoyed it because it allowed me to make some new connection in the professional and business world. Also, it showed me more of the jobs in engineering.

Thanks for having this program, it's so awesome!

- Jaime