Julie Rogers
Senior, Mechanical Engineering
Counselor, G.R.A.D.E. Camp
“I’m one of the counselors/mentors helping with robotics. I have [worked] G.R.A.D.E. Camp for two summers now and I really want to help young girls learn about robots.
I attended camp in 2012, which feels like a long time ago. Back then I thought engineering sounded kind of interesting, but I didn’t think it was something a lot of girls did…so going to G.R.A.D.E. Camp and meeting like-minded girls and seeing all the counselors really inspired me. I think it was part of the reason I went into engineering and it also helped that it was at the University of Houston where I ended up going to school.
A couple of weeks ago, I met a six-year-old girl. I told her I was going to be an engineer and she told me ‘Oh, that’s not a woman’s job.’ I was shocked. So I really hope the G.R.A.D.E. camp experience can help change that perception, and that [attendees] go home and tell their friends about this engineering camp, then they help spread the word. I really hope the girls are inspired and they realize this – engineering – is for women.”
G.R.A.D.E. stands for Girls Reaching And Demonstrating Excellence. G.R.A.D.E Camp is a one-week program for girls ages 13 to 17 at the Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston.