A banner along the Miss Porter’s School (Porter’s) softball field reads, in meter-high letters, “Girls Win Here.” It’s part of Porter’s attitude towards athletics, but it’s much more than that. On the first morning of the 2024 Summer in Farmington Idea Lab session, girls were gearing up for a very different type of competition. The Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (TIE) campers started their week at Summer in Farmington with two separate robotics challenges!

Students imagined that they were in charge of designing a new meal delivery system company and used Lego Mindstorm software to teach their robots how to navigate a town. As they learned how to operate a new set of programs, they also learned how to collaborate with new teammates, all while engaging in positive, friendly competition. As the day went on, each challenge became more complex, adding different types of turns and intersections. All the while, current Porter’s students were standing by, ready to help.

The TIE Idea Lab program is designed around a powerful concept: teaching girls to go after their dreams and building their confidence using new technologies to support their ideas. However, the real secret sauce here was the presence of Porter’s students as counselors, providing the campers with role models as they moved through the program. Whether a camper needed some encouragement to speak her mind or some help setting up software on her laptop, the counselors had been in the campers’ shoes before and knew just what to do.

Later in the week, the TIE campers visited two women-owned businesses in the Hartford area: Hartford Prints and Creative Jam Art Co. The two businesses are deeply different, but both made a big impact! At Hartford Prints—a gift shop that sells its own line of accessories, decorations, clothing, and more—campers met with employees to learn about the day-to-day work involved in running a store. They discussed sourcing inventory, managing employees, and maintaining community relations (and followed the visit up with ice cream!).

Capping off the program, campers visited Creative Jam Art Co., a Latina-owned art studio in Bristol, CT, that offers visitors a number of ways to tap into their creativity and artistic vision. Campers met with founder and COO Marlo Marrero Fernandez, talked through the day-to-day operations, and then got to try out the splatter room and acrylic pouring stations, creating their own artwork to bring home. It didn’t hurt that counselors and program directors joined them in the splatter room, too – who doesn’t want to toss some paint on a counselor?

Throughout the entire program, TIE Idea Lab campers explored new ideas and built their confidence. They learned how to use new technologies, met with entrepreneurs, and explored business ideas. Summer in Farmington taught campers that they can take on new challenges and win—anywhere! 

For 2025, the Institute for TIE is expanding with two weeks of programming! Be sure to check them out and secure your spot today!