Hillsboro Technology Camp, Girls Get IT!, Seeks Participants Interested in Technology

Three years ago, Ashley Loberger was a tri-sport athlete without the slightest interest in technology.

Then her sister, Savannah Loberger, started a camp that introduces middle and high school girls to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through hands-on experiments. Ashley attended and was hooked.

Now a senior at Hillsboro High School, Ashley still plays sports, but is thinking about studying either aeronautical engineering or computer science. And this summer, she's director of Girls Get IT.

The camp will be offered twice: Level 1 is July 14-18; Level 2 is July 21-25. Both will take place at Hillsboro High School from 9 a.m. to 12:30 each day.

"It's just a really comfortable environment having your peers teach you," Ashley said. "It's not intimidating because we're all girls and having fun."

Girls Get IT costs $40 per girl, including snacks and a T-shirt. The price would be much higher -- around $300 per girl -- but sponsors chip in approximately $25,000 each year to put on two sessions. That's including big names such as Intel, TriQuint and the Oregon Community Foundation, as well as individual donations.

Savannah started the camp in 2011 as a Girl Scout gold award project with the goal of inspiring more girls to enter science-related careers. She graduated from Hillsboro High last year and now studies computer science at Oregon State University.

Though Ashley is running the camp, Savannah will likely return as a guest speaker this summer.

The camp's budget is still around $5,000 short. Those wishing to donate can contact Hillsboro School District and make checks out to "Hillsboro School District for Girls Get IT."