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DALLAS (SMU) – When Pierre Martinez attended his first SMU engineering camp, he was a Lego-loving sixth-grader who liked to take things apart. Little did he know that attending camp would make him eligible for a scholarship to study engineering at SMU. Now an SMU junior computer science and data science major, he is completing his second summer working as a camp counselor mentoring middle-schoolers – and recruiting future scholarship recipients.

“Four of my former campers will attend SMU on engineering scholarships in the fall,” he says proudly.

The opportunity to attend engineering camp was key to Pierre’s decision to study engineering, and his first experience coding at camp led to his decision to major in computer science.

In the advanced engineering camp for ninth- and tenth-graders, Pierre helps students use engineering software, laser cutters and 3D printers to model their route from home to school. On the last day, they share their marble maze of their routes, complete with a joystick.

“Students thrive when they are actively engaged and see relevance in what they are learning,” says Sandra Garcia, manager of the Lyle School of Engineering summer camps. “We incorporate the engineering design process in our curriculum and expose them to a variety of aspects of engineering – from digital modeling to electrical wiring to programming.”

Inspiring students to pursue engineering

The Jake L. Hamon Scholars Program was created in 2018 to interest youth in studying engineering by providing scholarships to the Lyle School of Engineering’s summer camp program and creating SMU engineering scholarships for those who attend the camps. The Hamon Charitable Trust Foundation gave $2 million to launch the program.

Pierre also likes to expose the campers to college life, just as he was during six years of SMU engineering camps.

As a first-generation college student, living on campus during the residential engineering camps for high schoolers gave him a unique experience.

“Every day was like a day in the life of a college student,” he says.

“I remind the students that doing well in school is a powerful tool to help them get up and out, but it’s up to them to do it. If they find a passion, like building with Legos, they can find a way to make it their career.”

Pierre’s been interested in STEM as long as he can remember. To him, advanced math problems and coding challenges are puzzles to solve. He credits his older sister and his mom as key mentors and motivators.

As a student at an Oak Cliff KIPP Academy public charter school, Pierre was one of the first students to attend camp on a Hamon scholarship and one of the first former campers to receive the scholarship to attend SMU. Now he is one of four former engineering campers attending SMU with Hamon Engineering Scholarships.

“I want to see these kids become engineers,” Pierre says.