July was filled with energy, discovery, and new experiences as 182 deaf and hard-of-hearing students from across the country arrived at RIT to participate in NTID Youth Programs. Throughout July, students in Explore Your Future (EYF), Advanced Tech Careers (ATC), Health Care Careers Exploration Program (HCCEP), and Tech Tigers (TT) stepped into their residence hall, explored campus, built new friendships, and began imagining what their futures could look like. What started as a week-long summer experience quickly became an opportunity for students to see their potential as future engineers, scientists, healthcare professionals, technologists, artists, and business leaders.
Classrooms, labs, and multi-purpose rooms came alive with hands-on learning. Students investigated cybersecurity by learning how to protect their home Wi-Fi networks, explored chemistry through laboratory experiments, designed structures to withstand earthquake simulations, built computers, experimented with machine learning, and discovered how engineering turns ideas into reality. Others explored healthcare careers through CPR training, Suturing exercises, ultrasound demonstrations, neuroscience activities, and medical laboratory experiences. Along the way, career counselors helped students connect these experiences to their own strengths, interests, and future goals through career assessments and personalized guidance.
Beyond the workshops, students experienced college life firsthand through campus tours, team building activities, a multicultural dinner, recreational outings, and evenings spent building friendship with peers from around the country. Participants left with new skills, greater confidence, and a brighter vision for the future they are capable of creating. Final enrollment included 55 students in EYF Session I, 52 in EYF Session II, 13 students in HCCEP, 48 students in TT, and 14 students in ATC.
None of this would have been possible without the dedication of an amazing crew of people: NTID faculty, staff, student employees, counselors, and community partners who worked together to create an engaging and memorable summer experience.
Photos and highlights can be viewed on the NTID Youth Programs Facebook page and Instagram account.
