Private support provides funding for K-12 outreach programs, including Engineering Challenge Camps offered each summer, at the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. (WVU Photo)
Each summer, students from all over the Mountain State step onto the West Virginia University campus and into a world of possibilities. At the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, over 300 K-12 students explore real-world STEM through hands-on experiences — thanks in large part to philanthropic support.
Established by anonymous donors who believe in early STEM exposure, the Cate Schlobohm K-12 Outreach Excellence Fund supports programming that helps students see their futures through the lens of innovation. Private support from the Schlobohm fund and others like it helps the Statler College provide summer Engineering Challenge Camps and other programs that offer students in grades K-12 the chance to explore fields such as robotics, mechanical, chemical, biomedical, civil, and petroleum and natural gas engineering.
“Engineering is a career that can feel scary and inaccessible to people,” said Cate Schlobohm, a two-time WVU graduate and longtime staff member for whom the fund was named. “These opportunities help kids realize that it just takes passion and hard work — and that you can have a great career in this field.”
In addition to the Engineering Challenge Camps, the Statler College offers a wide range of K-12 outreach programs throughout the year. The College partners closely with student organizations, such as the Society of Women Engineers, to host events such as Girls STEM Day for K-5 students and Next Generation STEM Day for middle schoolers.
“Girls STEM Day is wildly popular, we usually see 200 girls sign up, and this year, registration filled in less than an hour,” Julie Gruber, outreach and recruitment coordinator for the Statler College, said.
The impact of these programs reaches far beyond a single camp or event. In 2023 alone, the Statler College's outreach efforts connected with more than 3,700 students through camps, classroom visits and community events.
One of the largest is “Track or Treat,” a safe, alternative trick-or-treat experience for Morgantown families, which attracts about 1,200 K-12 kids each year.
“We are reaching thousands of students every year,” Gruber said. “It’s amazing to see just how many young people we’re able to connect with.”
Many of these outreach experiences create a pipeline for students to return year after year, with some even becoming engineering students at Statler and eventually camp counselors themselves.
For Schlobohm, who spent 10 years working at the Statler College, the camps offered something even more meaningful: a chance to witness a student’s journey from start to finish.
“I got to see them as little kids in engineering camp and help foster that interest, and then I actually got to see them come through the program and become engineers,” she said. “That full-circle moment is what I loved most.”
Jillian Kinder, a Charleston native, graduated from WVU in 2020 with a degree in industrial engineering. Her journey began in high school when her mom discovered the Engineering Challenge Camps.
“I really liked the flexibility that you weren’t really locked into one discipline within engineering, that you could kind of flex between all the different options,” Kinder said.
Now working in transportation policy in the D.C. area, Jillian says the camps made the transition to college easier.
“It wasn’t as scary, and it wasn’t as nerve-wracking because I already had a little bit of experience being physically on campus,” she said.
The K-12 outreach programs also extend into communities across the state, helping students visualize futures they may never have considered.
“Especially for students in rural areas, it helps them see beyond their hometown,” Schlobohm said. “It helps them understand that there are exciting opportunities out there.”
Although Schlobohm now leads the WVU Purpose Center, many former participants have stayed in touch with her over the years. Some are now working in STEM fields, others are in grad school, and a few are even teaching.
“One former student recently emailed me from Tanzania, where he’s teaching math,” she said. “He told me that everything he’s doing really connects back to what he learned through the youth programming he got to help with. It’s really cool to see that kind of impact and know it started here.”
The donors who established the fund believe Schlobohm laid the foundation for the Statler College outreach office’s ongoing success and its growing impact. Her dedication boosted the number and size of programs for K-12 students. She also helped establish new programs, such as the Statler Ambassadors program, which trains and employs current Statler College students to assist with K-12 STEM outreach efforts across the state.
When she learned a fund had been named in her honor, Schlobohm was stunned.
“To know someone believed in that work so much and wanted to monetarily support it and help keep it moving forward was really amazing,” she said.
For those considering a gift to the fund, Cate emphasized its long-term impact.
“Investing in K-12 outreach is about preparing students to solve future problems, some we don’t even know exist yet,” she said. “You’re helping kids shape their futures. And in doing that, you’re helping shape all of ours.”
Gifts to the Cate Schlobohm K-12 Outreach Excellence Fund (3V1170) can be made securely online via a dedicated giving page. All gifts are made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.