By Daniel Wilson

July 01, 2025

Hundreds of local seventh-through 12th graders are converging on Sacramento State’s campus this summer to attend the popular Summer Youth Academies, a series of weeklong, career-focused courses. 

The annual academies, which are taught by faculty, staff, alumni and industry experts, offer local kids hands-on learning experiences and career exploration, exposure to a university campus and an opportunity to learn new skills.  

“The goal is to give our regional youth an opportunity to do something meaningful and engaging and fun over summer that is still educational in its roots without it being full-blown summer school,” said Anna Keck, director of Academic and Professional Programs in the College of Continuing Education.  

Courses run weekdays through Aug. 1 on topics such as creative writing and journalism, criminology, drawing and the arts, video game development, fire and emergency services, finances, computers and technology, and business. 

Some classes are online, but most are in-person on campus or offsite, and some include field trips. The courses are not graded and most do not include homework, giving the professors and alumni who teach them more curricular and creative freedom to make activities expansive and engaging, Keck said. 

Organizers frequently add new academies in response to demand as well as new and emerging industries and issues.  

“The goal is to give our regional youth an opportunity to do something meaningful and engaging and fun over summer that is still educational in its roots without it being full-blown summer school."
 -- Anna Keck, director of Academic and Professional Programs in the College of Continuing Education

Among the more than 25 courses offered this year are new courses on ageism and a maker studies product design course that utilizes Sac State’s StingerStudio Makerspace. 

“Generations United: Tackling Ageism Together,” taught by Gerontology Lecturer Jenny Stevenson and running July 28-Aug. 1, includes work with older adults in the Cardiovascular Wellness Program in Folsom Hall. Activities include nutritional meal planning, cooking, artwork, music and more.  

The course also touches on entrepreneurship by exploring innovative ways to help older adults. Students will also take a field trip to Oakmont Senior Living Community in order to learn about the well side of aging, not just the sick side. 

“We're hoping to plant that seed early on to get them thinking about aging,” Stevenson said, adding that it’s essential to get youth thinking about what they want to do earlier on. “Hopefully if they decide to go to college, they know what Sac State has. We want to give them the knowledge on a topic that isn't commonly discussed at a younger age.” 

One of the University’s goals in offering Summer Academies, Keck said, is showing students there are multiple paths to a career field. Health-based academies fill up quickly, and the Gerontology course’s focus on health serves as an example of a way into that industry participants may not have thought about. 

“I'm really excited about this new academy in particular (because of) this idea of getting kids to see the amazing diversity of pathways that are open to them that still fit within their passions and interests,” she said. 

It’s also a timely topic, emblematic of the academies’ goal to provide students with valuable and relevant life and career skills. As the population continues to age, knowing how to work with older adults could give students a competitive edge in the workforce, both Stevenson and Keck said. 

“I'm hoping that they want to do something in their career with older adults because no matter what career you're in, you work with older adults,” Stevenson said. “We want it to inspire them to want to be innovative in their lives as they get older.”

 

Another set of courses takes advantage of one of Sac State’s newest and most innovative locales.  

The new “Maker Studies - Product Design” academy joins the existing “Introduction to 3D Printing and Design,” held in June, in utilizing the University Library’s StingerStudio Makerspace so students can design and build a product from idea to completion.  

The new course runs July 21-25 and allows students to work with sewing and embroidery machines, laser and vinyl cutters, 3D printers and button presses as well as software such as Canva and Adobe Illustrator. 

“Basically, they'll start out with an idea of what kind of product that they might want to create and then think about how to push that product and even create packaging for that product,” said Preston Tobery, who runs the makerspace and teaches the academy. 

Tobery said he hopes students will not only learn about design and specific software, but that it will be a hands-on learning experience where they’ll walk away having tried new things. 

“I think having these summer sessions is fantastic, especially for the high schoolers, because it really shows them what's available at Sac State,” Tobery said. “That kind of just gives them a jump start on that knowledge, and hopefully they take that knowledge and share it with others that might be interested in coming to Sacramento State.” 

Though there is a fee for each course, scholarships are available thanks to donations. The program also works with First Star Academy to offer free admission to foster youth, a partnership that began last year. 

Summer Youth Academies are not only beneficial for students and their parents. They’re also a major opportunity for Sac State to continue meeting its enrollment goals. 

“It's really pipeline building at the end of the day for Sac State,” Keck said. “If we can get in front of the middle school and high school audiences, including the individual students and their families and support networks, and build that pipeline, that's the investment.” 

Keck hopes students leave with a sense of pride and confidence that they can attend college and pursue a career in their area of interest. 

“Ultimately, we just want kids to be able to have fun in an engaging environment, so that they stay passionate and engaged with a positive mindset about what they're going to do after high school,” she said. “No matter what they do, there are lots of options for success, and (we want them to know) that Sac State could be part of that.” 

Though some classes are full, completed or already underway, spaces remain available in others. For more information, including course offerings, schedule, scholarships and donations, visit the website.