MISSOULA – The Mike and Maureen Mansfield Center has launched a new program exclusively open to high school students in coordination with the 4th annual InnovateUM event.
For the first time, high school students from five Missoula County Public Schools spent the day at the University of Montana listening to guest lecturers from top companies like IBM and participating in problem-solving workshops across campus.
From fake news trivia to exercises in social mobility, students had a great opportunity to learn about all the issues facing them after graduation.
“Our emphasis today is really in ensuring that students know that they are part of the University. This University belongs to everyone in the community and we want kids growing in Missoula and in western Montana to recognize this is their place,” Mike and Maureen Mansfield Center executive Director Deena Mansour said.
“So by having a subset of kids, 250 kids, realize this is someplace that welcomes them, we hope that makes them more comfortable in whatever they choose to do after high school,” she added.
Fifty students from the event were invited to participate in the larger Innovate UM Event on Tuesday.
-Dan Ennis reporting for MTN News
