WSU PREP - A Place of Belonging

WSU PREP is an academically rigorous pre-engineering summer program, free for local middle school students. It takes place in the Noorda Engineering, Applied Science and Technology Building at Weber State University in Ogden, UT. Students attend four days a week and participate in advanced mathematics, science, engineering, problem-solving activities, career exploration, and educational field trips. The program introduces participants to concepts and expectations often encountered in high school and early college while helping prepare them for future STEM opportunities. For many students, WSU PREP is more than a summer academic program; it is one of the first places where they feel completely understood. It is a place where they belong.

Choosing to spend seven weeks of summer in a demanding academic program speaks to their curiosity, dedication, and desire to be challenged. They want to learn, be challenged, and explore subjects that genuinely interest them. At WSU PREP, they are surrounded by peers who share that curiosity, determination, and excitement. 

Students arrive accustomed to feeling different in their schools or social circles. Their academic interests may set them apart or make it difficult to find friends who understand them. At WSU PREP, the qualities that once made them feel like outsiders become the very things that connect them to others. They can ask questions, exchange ideas, work through challenges, laugh together, and form meaningful friendships. Here, being a “nerd” is not an insult. It is something to celebrate.

The difference this program makes extends beyond academic preparation. Students build confidence in their abilities while discovering they are not alone. For someone who has struggled to find that connection elsewhere, meeting one person who understands them can change their social world. Finding an entire community can change how they see themselves and their future.

WSU PREP gives students a place to be fully themselves. They leave with greater academic knowledge, meaningful connections, and the understanding that they belong, not despite who they are, but because of who they are.