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Thanks to both Verizon and Paul D. Camp Community College, many girls in Western Tidewater got a summer program they will remember. Instead of archery, crafts and canoes, the campers were made happy learning 3-D design, entrepreneurship and codes.

The latter activities were recently featured in the second annual Verizon Innovative Learning program that encourages future females toward careers in science, technology, engineering and math, often better known by its acronym, STEM; this is also sometimes known as STEAM, which rightly includes the arts.

All this was hosted at the college’s Regional Workforce Development Center in Franklin, and was open to girls not only from Franklin and Southampton, but also Isle of Wight and Suffolk.

Guiding in many instances were female mentors to encourage what the girls were learning and what they could achieve later in life.

But the program doesn’t stop entirely. The girls will continue to learn through STEM-related activities and events one Saturday a month through their graduation next May.

For those who missed this year’s class, the good news is that PDCCC will be funding for the 2019-2020 years.

We commend both Verizon and PDCCC, as well as the parents who have encouraged their daughters to seek out challenging and fulfilling lives through science, technology, engineering and math.