Educate Maine, Thomas College, and Northeastern’s Roux Institute have partnered to develop a unique college and career readiness opportunity for Maine students who wish to make a difference in the future of Maine’s economy. The goal is to help grow local and diverse talent in entrepreneurial and tech-forward fields, especially those that tie directly to Maine’s traditional industries such as biotech, green tech, aquaculture, fintech, e-commerce and cybersecurity. This FREE one-week summer camp opportunity, based in Portland, Maine, will recruit up to 56 Maine high school students with diverse backgrounds from across the state who share an interest in cutting-edge technology and a desire to lead the design of innovative new solutions to authentic problems shared by Maine employers. Rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, who are fully vaccinated and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, are invited to apply. During the day, the camp features a project-based learning experience where students will learn and use design thinking to tackle authentic challenges while being mentored by employer partners and faculty from both Thomas and Roux. Overnight, students will learn outdoor education and leadership skills at Rippleffect out on Cow Island. There’s no requirement that students know how to camp – staff are ready to support learners as they develop these skills… but, they should know ahead of time that this is a camping experience. Students who successfully complete this will be awarded three-credits from Thomas College (for Marketing 199 or Management 199 “Innovation and Creativity in Marketing”). The projects are themed around fields that are growing quickly in Maine… technology, cybersecurity, green tech, biotech, fintech, e-commerce, etc. Important Dates: - We will have Zoom office hours April 14th and 15th to support students and educators with the application (if needed).
- Applications are due by May 3.
- We will send acceptance letters by May 9th.
- The camp begins June 12 and ends June 17.
There is no charge for accepted students to participate thanks to generous support from our program sponsors. We truly want this to be as accessible as possible to a diverse set of students. Any questions, please contact Amanda Nguyen: amanda.nguyen@thomas.edu | 
