Heyworth High School students getting a head start in their careers with STEM

HEYWORTH, Ill. (WAND) - Students at Heyworth High School have started taking a closer look at what they want to do in their future.

Junior Ava Riddle is thinking of pursuing something in the medical field.

“What I’m planning on majoring in college is something related to science. I’m not sure if that’s going to be medicine or something else relating to science yet. Taking all of these STEM classes are to better prepare me for my future and help me get like a jumpstart ahead of other people,” explained Riddle.

Teachers like Eric Updegraff are working with students daily to ensure they're working with problems they'll actually face in the world.

“I teach a class called EAST and one of the things we do is we use the engineering design process to help kids solve problems that they actually care about. Too much of STEM curriculum is like disconnected, and so we like for it to be connected to problems that kids actually see in their world,” said Updegraff.

Riddle hopes showing that she can do this will show other students, especially girls, that they can work in STEM too.

“Don’t be frightened because people say that the classes are scary or hard, they’re really not. Don’t be scared if you’re a girl either — to go into something heavily influenced by men especially in science — because you can do just as well,” said Riddle.