Female STEM students experience Manufacturing Day
Students standing outside the CAT workshop
October 15, 2018
Several female STEM students were invited to take a field trip to CATERPILLAR workshop where the students got to see what it was like to be an engineer. They took tours around the job site, and got to watch employees build robots and engines.
Students entering the CATERPILLAR workshop
Dobie STEM teacher Mrs. Bensch went on the field trip. “The trip was great,” she said. “I enjoyed the fact that it was focused on getting girls interested in the STEM field.”
Jessika Paredez, an 8th grader, was interviewed about the STEM trip. “I wanted to go on the trip because I thought it was going to be interesting,” she said.
If Paradez had the opportunity to go again, she would. Her favorite part was seeing the robots and seeing how they do stuff to help around the factory. “It was also fun learning about the machines, and how they worked, and what they do,” she said.
The trip took place on October 11. The company and The City of Schertz generously provided lunch for the students.
Jessika standing and getting ready for her interview
“The field trip was super fun and I got to learn more things” said Kaytlin Frank, 8th grade. “ I wanted to go on the trip because it’s in my career path for what I want to be in the future and this trip sounded interesting,” she said.
Frank’s favorite part about the trip was the experience to see the machines and the programming. “I would definitely go on this trip again, because it was a good experience and it was super fun,” Frank said.
Another 8th grader that went on the trip was Destiny Beasley. She said her favorite part about the trip was near the end, when they had two public speakers come in and talk about their inspirations. “They really went into detail about what inspired them to work at an engineering plant, and why it was important to them,” she said, adding, that she felt really inspired. She learned on the STEM trip that it takes a lot more time to process and make machines, more than what meets the eye.
As for opinions on the factory, there was a lot to meet the eye. “The factory looked complicated and like there was too much,” she said. For jobs in the future, she said she is not considering a job in the STEM field because she would like to become an animator for Disney, but the trip was a real eye opener and she enjoyed it.
