HANCOCK — TRIO Pre-College Programs, hosted by Finlandia University, was selected to participate in the STEAM National Saturday Academy pilot program in Spring 2021. The pilot program was created by TRIO professionals Aaron Cortes Minor (Northeastern Illinois University), Adam Low (University of Alaska – Fairbanks) and Maru Luna (Inter American University of Puerto Rico) with the purpose of testing a remote learning strategy for Saturday program activity that fosters student engagement, active participation, capacity building, academic and personal growth, and resume building for post-secondary enrollment.

An invitation to the pilot program was extended in early December to 20 TRIO programs across the country, including the TRIO Pre-College Programs at Finlandia. Each program can invite five to 10 students from their programs with a strong interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) and social justice.

In this pilot program, students will participate in synchronous learning during one Saturday per month from February through May. The students will spend a four-hour block divided into classes on microcontrollers and sensors, app development, social justice and best practices. The best practices course will be a mixed course of important skills which will be helpful for high school students preparing for college. Students will work on projects both individually, in small groups and as a whole.

Students who successfully complete the pilot program will be invited to a week-long intensive in Puerto Rico. During the week-long intensive, students will continue their projects and explore the culture of Puerto Rico. The dates for the Puerto Rico trip have not been chosen due to COVID-19.

TRIO Pre-College Programs, comprised of TRIO Talent Search and TRIO Upward Bound, are 100% grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education and have been proudly hosted by Finlandia University for over 35 years. For more information about TRIO Pre-College Programs, visit keweenawtrio.org.