HIGH SCHOOL DAY - Friday February 21, 2020

As part of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Los Angeles Younger Member Forum’s (LA YMF) Engineers Week 2020, High School Day was held on Friday, February 22nd at the University of Southern California (USC) campus. The event brought together over 100 high school students from 4 different schools including West Adams Preparatory High School, South East High School, University High, and Alhambra High School. Students from each school were selected based on their involvement in engineering related clubs and general interest in pursuing STEM careers.

The fun-filled day started with a welcome from ASCE LA YMF’s University Outreach Co-Chair and High School Day Lead Claris Rivera of LADWP. Claris introduced the event’s opening speaker Howard Lum of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), who gave a great Engineering 101 discussion to the students regarding engineering careers, engineering majors in college, and what they can do now in high school to help prepare themselves for a successful career in engineering.

The day included fun hands-on engineering activities, such as a Jenga tower building contest and a catapult building exercise. These activities were essential in demonstrating teamwork as well as applicable STEM concepts.

Additionally, two scholarships were presented to the top students who participated in an Essay Contest which prompted students to write about an invention they would implement to help engineers prevent natural disasters. The winners included Jesus Lopez (1st place) and Leslie Leonardo (2nd place), both from West Adams Preparatory High School.

Lastly, the day concluded with an Engineering Fair during which USC student chapters from various engineering disciplines hosted booths that showcased projects they work on throughout the year. The high school students were able to ask questions about the projects, as well as get general information about the college experience and the advantages of joining professional organizations during college.