Eighteen-year-old incoming freshmen Ryan Shackleford and Katherine Grace Whitaker live close to the Daniel Boone National Forest, some 150 miles away from the University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus. Both will begin studies at UofL this fall, academic journeys inspired by a new type of high school summer camp at the .

Ryan, a graduate of Corbin High School, and Katherine, who graduated from Whitley County High School, live in a high poverty area the federal government has declared a “Promise Zone.” The program is aimed at improving the overall quality of life and, in Kentucky, the targeted area covers 3,071 square miles in Bell, Harlan, Letcher, Perry, Leslie, Clay and Knox counties and part of Whitley County. There are a total of 22 Promise Zone communities nationwide in a mix that includes urban, rural and tribal areas.

This summer marked the third year of the camp, which is designed to broaden interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.

focused on renewable energy with lessons and labs from researchers at the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research at Speed. This year, from July 9-13, a group of 23 Promise Zone students learned about 3D printing by designing and manufacturing small products at Speed’s Rapid Prototyping Center. They presented their products in a “Shark Tank”-like competition held on the final day of camp.

“It blew my mind what a 3D printer can do,” said Taylor Hall, 16, a Letcher County Central High School junior, whose team worked on a laser surgical cutting device that would replace the scalpel. “We had the best time ever. … I would love to come here.” 

Taylor and his teammate, 15-year-old Logan Thornton of Somerset High School, said they also enjoyed the extracurricular visits to Shakespeare in the Park and Louisville Mega Cavern, along with living in a college dormitory for a week. 

Ryan and Katherine were among the first group of Kentucky Promise Zone students who attended, also making visits to Louisville attractions while learning what UofL could offer them.

“Before attending the camp, I had not really put too much thought into where I would attend college, but the University of Louisville certainly wasn’t at the top of my list,” said Katherine, who was awarded a Grawemeyer Scholarship and a Vogt Scholarship and is considering majoring in psychology, biology or neuroscience. “I didn’t realize all the resources that were available at UofL, as there are very few people from my hometown who choose to attend there. After the camp, I became aware how much really was happening in Louisville, both at the university and in the surrounding city.”

Ryan, who secured a spot in the Guaranteed Entrance to Medical School (GEMS) program, plans to major in chemical engineering. He is also in the Honors Program and won a Grawemeyer Scholarship. He said the camp gave him his first real experience “working with physics,” and his favorite subjects were solar power and ion lithium batteries, as well as learning how an electron microscope works.

“For the most part, the camp gave me a more in-depth look and hands-on experience with subjects I only knew a little about,” Ryan said. “I had never been on the campus before until this camp. This camp opened up UofL as an option for me. I was surprised by how much I liked both the campus and the city of Louisville. UofL was not intimidating, but friendly and welcoming.”

Both Ryan and Katherine expressed their gratitude to the camp organizers.

“There are many students in this part of the state that are very intelligent and have a lot of potential, but do not get the opportunities that students from larger areas may receive,” Ryan said. “This camp gave students the opportunity to visit a large university outside of our local area.”

Katherine agreed.

“I think this camp is helping to provide unique and meaningful experiences for students in southeastern Kentucky that they otherwise may not be able to have,” she said. 

A week later, on their last day of a summer camp where they learned the basics of renewable energy, these same students left with a spark of something new for the future.

About 30 high school students from eastern Kentucky’s “” on July 21 concluded the research camp at the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research. Their presentations on subjects like solar energy and lithium ion batteries seemed to surprise even themselves.

“I came here knowing I wanted to be an engineer,” said Hayley Fulton, 14, who will be sophomore at Letcher County Central High school this fall. “I was clueless and now I know all this stuff and I’m just like, ‘Wow.’”

The camp at the center, which is part of UofL’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering, was in partnership with the federal Promise Zone, an area comprised of Bell, Harlan, Letcher, Perry, Leslie, Clay, Knox and part of Whitley counties. Its goal is to improve the overall quality of life in the 3,071-square-mile region. The white lab coats some students wore bore the saying “It’s a Promise” on the back.

“Solar energy is very important because nowadays we rely on a lot of non-renewable energy sources,” said Kaden Gray, 16, a junior at Lynn Camp High School in Knox County. “By utilizing solar energy, we can not only fix the problem, but bring back a lot of lost jobs to our areas. All these labs, the amount of stuff we learned that had to do with what I thought to be a simple concept, really blew my mind.”

The camp was designed to broaden interest in STEM careers, and many students said they are looking at careers in engineering, medicine, nursing and marine biology.

Asher Terry, 14, a Letcher County Central sophomore, said he wanted to learn more about STEM careers even though he’s an aspiring lawyer.

“I learned about solar cells and how they work,” he said. “I learned that coal isn’t all that because it’ll run out one day and we need some kind of renewable energy.”

The students said the importance of teamwork and respect were added lessons. They also made some good friends along the way.

“Today is going to be very hard for me because half these kids I probably will never have the chance to meet or see again,” said Gracie Moles, 14, a sophomore at Middlesboro High School.

The students spent the week on Belknap Campus in a dormitory, and in between labs they saw the sights of Louisville, such as the Slugger Museum and the Speed Art Museum. Interim UofL President Greg Postel and Interim Speed School Dean Gail DePuy met with them Friday and answered questions about scholarships, honors classes, tuition and housing.

Kentucky’s Promise Zone was designated in 2014 as the first rural Promise Zone in the nation. There are 21 other Promise Zone communities nationwide.

Check out more from the camp in the video below: