Youth Programs Update - Spring/Summer 2025

To expand exposure and opportunity for young students in STEM fields, the Office for Culture and Community Engagement (OCCE) led an April School Vacation Program and also collaborated with the non-profit Apprentice Learning on a middle school career exploration program in early June.

The April School Vacation Program welcomed 18 students from 12 different schools to explore careers in medicine and science through interactive experiences. A collaboration with HMS’s OCCE office and the Boston Private Industry Council, students gathered in HMS’s Countway Library. Students were introduced to the Anatomage Table, an interactive virtual tool to explore human anatomy. They also engaged with Harvard medical and graduate students, who shared their personal journey into medicine and science, encouraging open dialogue about future careers. Students learned about musculoskeletal anatomy and orthopedic surgery by examining an injury case study and tying surgical knots. Moreover, they explored the structure of skin, cancer, and immune cells through extended reality headsets, guided by researchers from the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology. 

In early June, HMS collaborated with Apprentice Learning to support career exploration for middle school students. Through this collaboration, 120 seventh-grade students participated in small-group activities across a range of careers, including science, healthcare, construction, baking, and entrepreneurship. Harvard students led hands-on sessions focused on neuroscience and emergency response. Students practiced CPR using training models and explored the structure and function of the brain, gaining early exposure to STEM concepts in an accessible and engaging format.

Together, these programs provided early exposure to science, healthcare, and career pathways, encouraging students to engage with STEM and consider new possibilities for their future.