Last week, Fox Valley Technical College welcomed 52 girls to campus for GirlTech, a five-day summer camp that gives middle schoolers a chance to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Girls ages 9 to 13 spent July 21-25 exploring welding, soldering, diesel engine work, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. The activities were led by women working in STEM, including employees from Plexus, Miller Electric and Kimberly-Clark.

The goal is simple: help young girls see what’s possible and encourage them to explore careers they might not have considered.

Each year, three FVTC alumni return to help run the camp: Olivia Arreola, Valarie Schwartz and Abby Frisk. All three studied welding and have since built careers in engineering.

Women continue to make gains in STEM, but there’s still a gap. According to the World Economic Forum, women made up just 28.2% of the global STEM workforce in 2024, compared to 47.3% in non-STEM fields.

FVTC hopes camps like GirlTech help change that by building early interest and confidence in STEM subjects.

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Interested in learning more about each of their journeys at FVTC? Read more:

Abby Frisk article

Olivia Arreola article

Valarie (Wojcik) Schwartz article

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FVTC in the News:

WFRV-TV: GirlTech camp at Fox Valley Technical College empowers girls to explore STEM careers