Partnership in action: San Juan Unified and the Aerospace Museum spark career dreams

San Juan Unified School District continues to strengthen its commitment to student success and equitable practices through meaningful community partnerships. 

On Sept. 24, the district partnered with the California Aerospace Museum for the annual Women in STEAM event, which provided middle school girls with an up-close look at careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. A collaboration that has been going strong for several years. 

Buses of nearly 500 students and their STEAM-focused teachers from all 17 middle and K-8 schools across the district arrived at the museum for a day designed to spark curiosity and confidence. They toured historic aircraft and interactive exhibits, participated in hands-on demonstrations and listened to a panel of women professionals who have built careers in STEAM fields.

For educators, the event highlighted the importance of representation.

“If you only see males in a career, you think, ‘Oh, women aren’t supposed to do that, so don’t even try,’” said Theresa Hollenbeck, a seventh-grade science teacher at Winston Churchill Middle School. 

With careers in STEAM typically being male-dominated, this collaborative effort is designed to encourage women and girls to pursue these careers and provide them with the necessary resources to do so.

Vicky Velasco, who teaches science, STEM and media at Arcade Middle School, said the program makes opportunities tangible for students.

“We bring them to the place that they might already be. We bring the industry to them in an accessible way that demonstrates the intersectionality of opportunity, making it more about equity. I recognize that we’re all at different starting lines. How do we make it so that we cross the finish line together?”

For students like Santana, an eighth grader at Lichen K-8, the impact was immediate.

“I’ve learned that just because you’re a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do something,” she said after exploring exhibits and speaking with presenters. “I see a lot of girls that don’t pursue what they want to do in life just because they’re a girl … I love that this encourages girls, especially young girls, to not still do that.”

While the event encourages students to explore potential STEAM careers for the future, it also provides opportunities for them to consider today. San Juan Unified’s Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways were displayed for students to take those first steps into a career in STEAM. 

“I think that these opportunities and this exposure to different career exploration are so important for students because they might discover something that they never even knew was possible for them. And the majority of these programs allow them to step into roles right out of high school, where they can be earning more money,” said Martina Cermak, a CTE counselor for San Juan Unified.

The collaborative effort between San Juan Unified and the California Aerospace Museum highlights how student support can expand beyond the classroom.

“I think that we are meant to be in community … and what I think about the partnership angle for educators and industry like this is we have an opportunity now to be really innovative,” said Taylor Toledo, founder and CEO of Toledo Consulting, Inc. and Aerospace Museum board member.

By connecting students with role models, hands-on experiences and community partners, San Juan Unified is ensuring equitable access to rich learning experiences, preparing a diverse pipeline of future talent and giving students the tools and knowledge they need to pursue careers in high-demand fields. For San Juan Unified, this partnership is more than a one-day field trip, it’s an investment in building a diverse, confident generation of innovators ready to take flight.