Elliot Carter
GoSciTech Day Camp at Midlands Technical College
"Being in GoSciTech camp got me excited to learn more, and it also got me thinking about careers I’ve never considered before."
Most rising 8th graders spend their summer hanging out with friends, vacationing with family, attending sports camps, or leveling up on video games. Elliot Carter, a student at American Leadership Academy in Lexington, SC, did many of those same things. But she also attended the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics GoSciTech Biology Day Camp at Midlands Technical College.
We asked Elliot to tell us what she discovered – about science, herself, and what might come next. And boy, did she light up!
What made you want to attend a STEM summer camp?
My interest in science first sparked back in sixth grade with my teacher, Ms. Meyers. That was when I did my first dissection – it was a cow eye – and some people about passed out. I mean, you’ve got to add a little bit of drama to it, right?!
Another time when my parents came to the school for Recap Night, Ms. Meyers talked about how I was excelling in science. That just made me feel good. She put this encouragement in me, and ever since then, I’ve really enjoyed learning how the body works.
What I didn’t know was that Ms. Meyers would also be my teacher at camp. It was a good surprise to walk in and see her there!
What did you particularly enjoy about the hands-on activities at camp?
Each day we focused on one or two different body systems. We dissected a rat and a sheep’s heart. (That one was my favorite!) We also drew a body model, and we used balloons that would inflate and deflate to act as the lungs, yarn to act as the digestive system, and Twizzlers wrapped in Saran wrap for the muscular system. It was really exciting because I had never learned in that way before.
Elliot opened her binder to share more, proudly pointing out her drawing of the respiratory system and explaining how the give-and-take of oxygen and carbon dioxide between people and plants is really just another way to think about reduce, reuse, recycle.
As she speaks, I can’t help but think that she’s the perfect example of what makes GoSciTech Day Camps so special: kids walk away with real understanding, not just a fun memory.
Besides Ms. Meyers, you didn’t know anybody else at camp. Did that make it hard to work as a team?
No, actually, because every day, we answered questions like “How well did you work as a team?” and “Is there anything you would change about your teamwork tomorrow?”
I had two other girls on my team, and everybody did their part. It wasn’t just one person taking over, but it also wasn’t the teacher telling us what to do. We had the freedom and space to figure out who would do what and how to trust each other.
I also liked that we were able to change team leaders for different projects. I was the team leader for the sheep heart dissection because I felt so confident with it. But the rat was not my thing, so one of my teammates stepped in to lead that one.
What did you think about the camp being on a technical college campus?
It was really cool to experience that! We got to see and use all of the different materials an actual college student would use. At my school, we don’t have as many scales, scissors, or flasks, so there was just a lot more stuff at Midlands.
We also took a tiny field trip to see the engineering labs, and our closing celebration was in an auditorium, which was a nice space to welcome the parents and show the slideshow.
Speaking of parents, how did yours support your camp experience?
My dad was like, “Elliot, you’re nerding out!” But then he said, “I joke with you, but I’m really glad you’re doing this.” And my mom brags about it. She’s like, “Yeah, my daughter went to the Governor’s School camp. She learned so much. You should put your kid in it.”
I agree with her, of course!
Camp even had you thinking ahead – not just about what you learned there, but about what comes next, right?
Yes. That was one of the questions they asked us: how will you continue to learn more about biology at home or when you go back to school? I feel like taking more science classes in high school is one way I can do that. Biology I as a requirement, but I’d like to take Biology II as an elective.
I do volleyball and gymnastics, so I may also be interested in sports medicine. Being in GoSciTech camp got me excited to learn more, and it also got me thinking about careers I’ve never considered before.
I’ve always wanted to be a pediatric nurse. But after learning about how the muscular and skeletal systems work, I feel like being an occupational therapist or a physical therapist could be really cool. To know that I could help people perform everyday tasks or help athletes rehabilitate after injuries and get back to doing what they love – that would be so great because I could better someone’s life.