Kim Bobby grew up in Los Angeles in a family of six children. As the only one who earned a college degree, she understands the importance of higher education. She is chief diversity officer at the University of Puget Sound (UPS), as well as an associate professor in the School of Education. She oversees the Summer Academic Challenge, which brings teenagers to campus each summer in a program that emphasizes math and science. Run by UPS Access Program in partnership with Tacoma Public Schools, Summer Academic Challenge is in its 19th year.

Local companies and organizations contributed $67,500 this year. Such funding allows students to participate at no charge. They pledge to show up every day and parents pledge to make sure their children are in class and ready to learn.

Organizers encourage students from groups who are underrepresented on college campuses, especially students of color and from low-income families, to apply. All have to complete an application form with a statement on why they want to participate. They must submit a letter of recommendation from one of their teachers.

“I know how important college was to me on my life journey,” Bobby said. “Education has opened up some amazing opportunities for me.”

She sees Summer Academic Challenge likewise opening doors. She noted one UPS student participated in the program for five summers and now volunteers his time to help out.

Bobby is teaching a class for students working on master’s degrees in education. She involves them in the program each Wednesday. “It is very enriching for both groups,” she said. “The kids are very forthcoming in generating dialogue.”

Some have enrolled for several summers in a row. For some it is a family affair, such as for Adrena Collins, who attends Stadium High School. A brother and sister joined her this summer.

Students are split into two levels, seventh through ninth grade and 10th through 12th grade.

Bobby hires the teachers for the program. She finds them through Tacoma Public Schools. “I use that network to get those contacts,” she said. “There is a great deal of interest.”

UPS faculty are involved in developing curriculum.

Geriann Marchio, a science teacher at Jason Lee Middle School, was selected this year. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UPS. Marchio is excited to be back on campus. “I am the proudest graduate ever,” she said. “I love UPS with all my heart.”

Since she had the summer off, Marchio saw this as an opportunity to expand her base of knowledge and teaching ability, as well a chance to earn some extra money. She is working with high-school students in the program, so working with a different age group is another benefit.

Marchio’s students have collected air, water, soil and plant samples from Point Defiance Park, Ruston, Vashon Island and the UPS campus. The soil was tested for arsenic levels, to examine the ongoing impact on the region of the former copper smelter in Ruston.

She has resources on a college campus not available in a typical junior high. “At Jason Lee we do not have professors, or three teaching assistants who are pre-med students,” Marchio said. Three UPS students, two with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry, have been helping her pupils. “Together they all bring something to the table. The staff here is great. They always pull through and are glad to help.”

The program emphasizes hands-on activities. This summer students have made model planes from blueprints they designed to learn how wing ratio affects flight. They crushed soda pop cans in a demonstration of Isaac Newton’s laws of motion. They learned about layers of the sun from models they made from Styrofoam balls.

“There are not a lot of lectures,” Bobby said. “We are big on doing. We can see what the students learned, not just guess what they learned. The kids like that they can apply what they learn to a real-world concept. We keep them engaged.”

The program wraps up on July 21. That day students will give presentations on their projects from 6-8 p.m. in Rausch Auditorium in McIntyre Hall. That event is open to the public.