TechQuest gives students hands-on careers look

By Sue Loughlin

Tribune-Star

Woodrow Wilson Middle School student Allison Kirkman has always dreamed about being a nurse, but during a STEM-focused summer program at Ivy Tech this week, she also discovered an interest in welding.

“When we got to check out all the materials and everything they needed to do welding, I thought that was pretty cool to experience,” she said.

Kirkman is one of about 100 students who registered for TechQuest, a week-long summer program at Ivy Tech for Vigo County School Corp. students who are entering eighth grade in 2025-26.

Turn to CAREERS, A4

Michael Mauntel, Ivy Tech precision agriculture equipment technology program chair, works with Vigo County School Corp. students participating in TechQuest this week. The students, who will be in eighth grade, are gaining hands-on experience in technology, computer science, engineering and health care.

Envisionary Media for Ivy Tech

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Students are gaining hands-on experience in technology, computer science, engineering and health care and are learning about future career opportunities. The program, free to students, is jointly funded by the Vigo County Education Foundation and Ivy Tech Foundation.

When the students are in high school, they will have to select a pathway, said Molly Joseph, dean of Ivy Tech’s school of advanced manufacturing, engineering and applied science. “We’re hoping this program helps them decide what they want to do or maybe what they don’t want to do,” she said.

With TechQuest, students are exploring many of Ivy Tech’s programs and they get to do hands-on activities.

“They’ve been able to see industrial robotics. They’ve been able to see machining and what a machinist does,” Joseph said. They’ve learned about automotive fields and even climbed inside a semi.

Industry partners also are part of the program so students can see what kind of job potential is out there, Joseph said.

In attending TechQuest, Allison Kirkman wanted to learn more about nursing and how the human body functions.

She gave the program a thumbs up. “It’s a really nice program to give students a chance to think about what they want to do in the future,” she said.

Samia Wade, who will be an eighth-grader at Woodrow Wilson, has an interest in criminology and law, but TechQuest opened her eyes to different possibilities.

She was especially interested in how to check the air in a tire. Reed Clutter, who will be an eighth grader at West Vigo Middle School, said of TechQuest, “You are learning the basic stuff on the skills that you have in life, like trades, and jobs and salaries - how much you get paid to do those jobs.”

He especially liked sessions dealing with automotive and diesel mechanics. “I like hands on. I think it’s easier to learn that way,” he said.

During some of the sessions Thursday, students learned about nursing and health careers.

They learned about the dangers of vaping, including __________ a demonstration of what vaping can do to lungs and airways. In another class, they took vital signs and learned about things like resting heart rate and what happens to that heart rate when they are more active.

By exposing students to different programs, “Maybe we can create a spark,” said Kim Cooper, dean of Ivy Tech’s school of nursing. “We don’t expect them to sign up for courses today, but we’re hoping we can plant a seed.”

Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at sue.loughlin@tribstar. com. Follow Sue on Xat @

TribStarSue.

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Middle school student Caden Martin checks his heart rate during a TechQuest session at Ivy Tech Thursday.

Tribune-Star/Sue Loughlin