Summer normally is a time for educators to slow down, take a breath or relax. That’s not the case at Virginia Peninsula Community College, where faculty, staff and administrators have been busy with academic camps.
In a four-week period spanning June and July, VPCC offered two health science camps and facilitated two STEM camps. In the last week of July, the College collaborated with NASA Langley on a robotics camp at the Peninsula Workforce Development Center.
“”These camps are more than summer enrichment. They are a launchpad for future scientists, healthcare professionals, and innovators who will shape our region,” said VPCC President Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon. “We’re planting seeds of curiosity and confidence in the very students who may one day return to VPCC as college students, professionals, or community leaders.”
Rebecca Jaderquist, a nursing faculty member at VPCC, served as the director for the two four-day two health science camps. The first camp was in June at the Hampton Campus, and the second was in July at the Historic Triangle Campus in Williamsburg.
She echoed what Dr. Brannon said, noting they were about more than academics.
“A big aspect of it is what does a career in healthcare look like? What are different options as far as EMS, public safety, public health and nursing? What does that look like?” she said. “And then how do you get there?”
VPCC staff worked with the students to learn and develop their interests, then showed them how VPCC can play a role in their future.
“What are our specific programs and resources that we have locally in our community to help support their dreams and their goals and becoming a Gator,” Jaderquist said.
The idea for the health science camps, which were in their first year, came about last summer. Michelle Alexander, dean of VPCC’s Public Safety, Allied Health and Human Services division, and Jenni Jones, director of the Allied Health and Nursing Education programs, were discussing ways to use funds from the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation.
More than 30 students, mostly rising sixth- through ninth-graders, participated in the camps. Jaderquist said there is an increasing need for healthcare workers, especially with expanding technology and telehealth.
“Nursing informatics is a huge new career that we’re able to plug into the younger generation that is more interested in technology,” she said.
The field encompasses the technological aspects of nursing, such as electronic health charts, using iPads to track data, and teaching patients which apps they can use for self-care.
“It’s gaining popularity,” said Jaderquist, adding the field has been around for at least a decade. “It used to be more of a niche specialty, and now it’s becoming its own kind of evolving area.”
Basic healthcare skills were covered, including how to stop bleeding and how to take vital signs. Students tried their hands in simulation and immersion labs, the same ones used by VPCC students. They learned about nutrition and germ tracing and even got to dress up in medical gowns.
“I tried to tie in a lot of fun with real world applicable skills,” Jaderquist said.
There were field trips to a fire station and hospital, but the highlight might have been a visit from the Riverside VCU Health LifeVac helicopter July 9 at the HT Campus. The campers were able to go inside the helicopter and talk to the crew.
The STEM camps, which were sponsored by the College President’s Office and J&F Alliance Group Inc., in Hampton, aimed to promote artificial intelligence and science, technology, engineering and math programs.
But according to Bridgett Madden and her daughter Celena Luccioni, both of whom worked at the camps, the benefits reached beyond academics. They specifically mentioned how students learned to work collaboratively. Madden and Luccioni would assign a project and then leave it in the students’ hands. The students discovered skills that don’t always develop in a traditional academic setting, among them critical thinking.
“When you have that room full of people (assigned to a team project) … they start to see who’s the person that’s going to be organizing, who’s the person that’s going to be giving them a design,” said Madden, a Career Technical Education teacher with Hampton City Schools.
Luccioni, an English as a Second Language teacher for Newport News Public Schools, likes that it’s more student-led than teacher-led, which prepares them for college.
“I try to tell my students this all the time … as you get older, teachers are going to slowly loosen the reins,” she said. “In college, it’s 100% on you. So, this is an introduction to the college experience in that ‘this is your task. Here are your instructions.’”
The students learned coding and were informed about VPCC’s dual enrollment options, guaranteed admissions policies and how community colleges are viable options for many.
“Looking ahead to 2026, we’re excited to expand our summer offerings to include a variety of athletics and performing arts camps,” Dr. Brannon said. “Our goal is to create a vibrant, inclusive experience that nurtures every kind of talent — from the lab to the stage to the field. VPCC is committed to being a hub of inspiration, learning, and opportunity for youth across the Peninsula.”