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Mostly Cloudy Stella K. Abraham High School students go on a tech mission
Chaya Biderman, Kayla Evans, Zohar Reyhanian and Aliyah Tanami, engineering students from the Stella K. Abraham (SKA) High School for Girls in Hewlett Bay Park, participated in the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE) second annual tech trip to Israel for high school students.
The CIJE Tech: Journey to the Start-Up Nation program from Jan. 19-29 was part of the continuing effort by CIJE) to get students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) the disciplines most needed for 21st century careers.
Judy Lebovits, director of CIJE organized the trip, which included 22 other students and mentors from yeshiva high schools throughout the United States.
The program emphasized life sciences and biotechnology, and took the students to Technion, the Weitzman Institute and biotech firm Given Imaging, as well as start-ups and venture capital and entrepreneurial firms. The visits were considered extraordinary, by school officials and a great way to collaborate with the remarkable Israeli start-ups working on technological innovations.
The SKA engineering students returned from their mid-winter intersession trip both excited and inspired. All four thought it was an experience being with a like-minded group of students who share their interests in technology. The information learned expanded the knowledge gained in Paula Berger’s engineering class and the girls found it exciting to work on actual projects. They learned extensive business skills at the start-ups and venture capital firms, which would help them excel in their future careers.
There was also time for fun, touring and connecting to the land of Israel. Jeep riding, the Blind Museum and the Carmel were some of the places the students had the opportunity to explore.
Our sincere thanks go to the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education and Mrs. Lebovits for this wonderful experience. Journey to the Start-Up Nation was certainly an introduction for our students to a different side of Israel.
