Arianna Jones is a teenager determined to help others with a future degree in engineering. Each Saturday, she participates in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering’s College Reach-Out Program (CROP) where she is mentored by engineering faculty such as Shonda Bernadin, Ph.D.
Jones was recently named the 2018 Girls Can Do Anything honoree by the Oasis Center for Women & Girls.
An academically and service-accomplished teen, Jones’ own experience with immunotherapy sparked an interest in making shots for allergies easier, and longer-acting, than currently available.
One of the main reasons she became interested in innovation was through CROP, according to an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat.
“They prepare me for college and instruct me on all the components of engineering,” said Jones in the newspaper article. “We do fun activities that we actually learn from.”
She went on to say the program is helping her set her sights on a prize, biomedical engineering.
In CROP, girls like Jones get academic help and also hands-on introductions to STEM topics, mentoring and more by faculty and engineering college students. There are two different CROP opportunities for middle and high school students.
The CROP-ENG middle school component works with sixth through eighth grade students to provide them with academic preparedness, college readiness, career awareness and personal/professional development including Saturday Enrichment Academy, cultural and educational Activities, summer engineering experiences and parent workshops. The program is aimed at local schools.
The CROP-ENG high school component serves students in ninth through 12th grades who want to attend college and major in STEM. Services include academic tutors, mentoring services, test preparation, design competitions, research opportunities, parent college prep workshops and college previews.