Summer at CYC: Bringing ideas to life
Every project starts with an idea.
Sometimes it’s a sketch on a piece of paper. Sometimes it’s a question, a challenge, or an experiment that doesn’t work the first time. What matters is having the time to keep going.
That’s what summer made possible for students in STEAM Academy.
Over several weeks, young people designed, tested, built, and shared projects that reflected their own interests. Some engineered model roller coasters. Others learned to code, designed objects with a 3D printer, produced short films, or picked up an instrument for the first time. Every project looked different, but they all began the same way: with an opportunity to turn an idea into something real.
Summer gave students the time to stay with those ideas.
“During the school year, there’s only so much time after school,” explained Stefani VanCantfort, Program Manager. “In the summer, students can stay with a project for weeks instead of hours. They have the chance to keep creating, make changes, and see their ideas develop.”
For Angelica, that opportunity came through 3D printing.
She had never tried it before the summer, but by the end of the program it had become one of her favorite experiences.
“I’d never tried 3D printing before,” she shared. “It was really fun to create something new.”
Alexis found herself drawn to a different kind of challenge. She spent nearly a month helping build a model roller coaster, adjusting loops, testing designs, and making changes until everything finally worked.
“The loops were really hard,” she said. “It took a lot of trial and error before we finally got it to work.”
That process of revising, testing, and trying again became part of the learning.
Mike, STEAM Coordinator at the Balboa High School Summer Program, watched students discover that some of the best ideas don’t come together on the first attempt.
One student arrived convinced coding simply wasn’t for them. Whenever something didn’t work, frustration came quickly. Rather than hiding his own mistakes, Mike programmed alongside the class, talking through each challenge as it happened and showing students how to work through problems one step at a time.
By the end of the summer, that same student had created a shark-themed video game of their own.
“My goal is to help young people trust themselves when they don’t immediately know the answer,” Mike shared. “When they realize it’s okay to keep trying, they begin to see what they’re capable of.”
The creative process didn’t stop with engineering or technology.
Students wrote and performed music, produced short films, experimented with design, and explored new ways to express their ideas. Along the way, staff watched quiet students become more comfortable sharing their work and collaborating with others.
One of Davina’s favorite memories came during music class. A student who had spent the first weeks quietly learning the ukulele asked if he could perform the song he had been practicing for staff.
For Davina, it wasn’t just about the performance. It was about watching a student decide that something they had created was worth sharing.
Learning continued beyond the classroom.
During a visit to The Tech Interactive in San Jose, Lawrence spent time with an exhibit that challenged visitors to build a more sustainable Bay Area by making decisions about transportation, energy, and city planning.
“I didn’t realize how much goes into making a city more environmentally friendly,” he reflected. “I kept changing things like public transportation and energy sources to see how it affected the city.”
The experience encouraged him to think differently about how ideas become solutions.
Later this summer, Lawrence faced a challenge of a different kind.
After spending days debating whether he should ride a roller coaster during a field trip, he finally decided to give it a try.
“I was nervous before we got there,” he admitted. “Afterward, I was really glad I did it.”
In many ways, that moment reflected the summer itself.
Whether students were building a roller coaster, writing code, composing music, or designing something for the first time, each project began with a simple question: What if?
Not every idea became a finished product exactly as students imagined it. Some changed along the way. Others led to entirely new interests. But each project gave young people the opportunity to imagine, create, revise, and share something that hadn’t existed before.
That’s what made this summer unique.
It wasn’t about finding the right answer. It was about giving young people the time, tools, and encouragement to bring their ideas to life.
This is the fifth and final story in our Summer at CYC series, celebrating the many ways young people learned, explored, created, and built community throughout the summer. If these stories have inspired you, consider making a gift to help more young people experience a summer of opportunity at CYC.