Showcase July 16th, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm
The Summer Academy is possible thanks to generous support from the Sobrato Family Foundation
Vision Board Craft Crafting
Finished Project
Psychology Exploration Students learned about different disciplines and careers in psychology. They used Stroop test cards to explore cognitive flexibility and selective attention, competing to see who has the most flexible brain. Students also learned about exposure therapy by creating gradual exposure plans to help overcome phobias. One group designed a plan for a fear of heights, progressing from standing on a playground structure to riding a roller coaster.
Stroop Test
Engineering Tour w/ MESA Students toured the engineering building and heard from a panel of current engineering students. They visited the makerspace where they saw and learned about design tools and technologies.
Makerspace
They then worked in teams to build the tallest spaghetti and marshmallow tower by applying engineering principles.
Spaghetti Tower
“My favorite activity this week was touring the engineering building. I got to go inside a lot of rooms and see what happens in them… Another thing I enjoyed was listening to the college students talking about their experience and I learned a lot from them.”
Career Development Students explored their interests to find applicable areas of work and study through a Career Discovery Assessment. Students then looked into the majors and colleges available at SJSU that align with their results.
Research Workshop Students learned how to find research articles using the SJSU library database, narrow down a research topic, and analyze a source for credibility, validity, and relevancy.
They also explored the bottom floor of the library, searching for physical copies of books that focused on their topic of interest.
King Library
MLK Prototyping Lab Laser-cut Keychains Students used Adobe Express to design custom keychains and creative business cards expressing their future career goals. They saw the inner workings of the laser cutter that was used to burn the designs onto wood.
Business Cards
MLK Prototyping Lab Then, students got to design their own t-shirts and stickers, and have them printed.
“My favorite activity from this week was designing custom T-shirts and stickers. I had a lot of fun with my friends making shirts of each other.”
Emerging Educators Workshop Students learned the four key parts of a lesson and then created and presented a lesson of their choosing. Students taught how to edit photos, calculate tip, draw 3D objects, and more.
Paper Airplanes
Sumo Squat
One student taught their group how to make origami hearts with effective modelling and guided practice. This student also learned how effective gamification can be.
Origami Heart
Stretches “Ava’s lesson stood out to me. I think it was effective because she made us have a little competition and she provided clear instructions.”
Social Work Activity Discussion
Students learned about social justice and its connection to different careers and fields of study. They worked in groups to brainstorm solutions to major social issues. For example, one group focused on racism by identifying who it affects, discussing its impact in their community, and proposing steps and needed resources to help address it.
Brainstorm “This week made me more interested in my career path because I got to talk about big problems and how to solve them.”
Social Media Workshop Students learned about the components of a visually appealing and informative social media post. Then, they created flyers highlighting their favorite part of the K-16 Summer Academy. The goal of these posts was to showcase their experiences and encourage future students to participate in the program.
Prof. Leigh Via
Pipe Cleaner Craft Basketball
Flowers
First Aid, CPR, and AED Training American Red Cross certified instructors taught students how to perform life saving actions from the heimlich maneuver and patching blood wounds to contacting 911.
Adult CPR
Students completed trainings and received certification to perform Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED.
AED Pediatric CPR “My favorite activity of this past week was the CPR training. It was my favorite activity because I’m interested in the medical field, so getting a certificate of this is good for me.”
City Hall Field Trip Behind the Scenes
Students visited San José City Hall to learn about careers in local government and public service. They listened to a panel of city employees who shared their career journeys, advice for students, and reasons to consider working in the public sector.
Students then toured behind the scenes of City Hall, explored offices, learned how different departments support the city, and visited the top of the building.
Career Panel
Scavenger Hunt
Keychain Craft
Word Search Riddles
Finished Product
Puzzle
COMM 20 Public Speaking Students spent five weeks taking an accelerated college-level public speaking course. They researched and wrote different types of speeches, practiced extemporaneous delivery, and learned how to manage an audience. Throughout the course they built confidence as both public speakers and as future college students.
Gala Preparation
Note Card Prep
“It was quite challenging, but I’m glad we did it, as I felt I am becoming more used to public speaking.”
Bowling
K-16 Community “I’ve met so many new people and I hope to continue to grow closer to the people in our community.”
Dining Commons Water Fight “I liked being on campus this week because we got to explore different resources and visit different parts of campus such as the prototype lab and the rest of the library.”
Academy Mentors
“Something that stood out was how big the campus was since I had to walk a lot.”
Weekly Journaling
2026 K-16 Summer Academy!
2026 K-16 Summer Academy!
Contact Information
Helen Choi Summer Academy Coordinator Email: helen.choi@sjsu.edu
Janene Perez Director, SJK16 Collaborative Email: janene.perez@sjsu.edu