A group of West Oso students are spending part of their summer gaining valuable tech skills at Del Mar College's CODE_IT Camp, where middle schoolers get hands-on experience with robotics, coding and NASA-level data.
The camp culminated with a special presentation that allowed parents to witness firsthand what their children had accomplished during the program.
"It's more of a feeling that I can do it. The drive and the ganas are there," said Korrine Caruso, associate professor of computer science at Del Mar College.
"And that's probably the highlight of everything. Having the parents come in and see everything that they've connected and learned," Caruso said.
Among the participants was 13-year-old Brady Pendarvis from West Oso Junior High, who found the opportunity to pursue his interest in technology.
"I always wanted to learn about coding, but it was really hard for me without the resources so I'm really glad to be here," Brady said.
Though Brady encountered challenges initially, he quickly adapted to the learning environment.
"Some of it was difficult at first but I became more comfortable the further I got into it," Brady said.
For Brady's mother, Ana Pendarvis, the program has made a significant impact on both her son's technical abilities and his self-confidence.
"I couldn't talk to him for awhile because he would think about all the fun he had and go to his computer and work on his projects," Ana said.
The program has been especially meaningful for their family, as Brady lost his father at a young age. Seeing him thrive in this environment has been particularly rewarding for his mother.
"To see he's exceeding in the things he wants to do. It's such a blessing to see all that after all the trials we've been through as a family," Ana said.
While the summer camp has concluded, for many participants like Brady, it represents just the beginning of their journey into STEM fields, demonstrating what's possible when students are provided with the right tools and support.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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