Select middle school students participated in the 15th annual ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Camp on the NIU campus June 24.

The camp is a free academic program of the Harris Foundation, which takes an active role in shaping and developing the education and passion into students entering the sixth, seventh or eighth grade. Campers were welcomed at the Engineering Building by Bernard Harris, the foundation’s president and a former astronaut.

“Growing up, I loved to watch the sunsets and the sunrises,” Harris said. “But actually, I was more fascinated by what was behind the clouds at night. The shining light of the stars made me curious to really know what was up there in space in the sky, and that’s what contributed into me becoming the first African-American astronaut to ever walk in space.”

Harris, who is also a medical doctor, has expanded the camp to 30 campuses across the country, with NIU being the only campsite in Illinois. Out of 400 applications that were reviewed, only 48 middle school students were chosen to participate in the camp this summer. The camp is a two week experience that motivates youth to stay in school, promote leadership and install the values of responsibility, fairness and respect.

“These kids are still developing their conception of intelligence,” said Chris Aderhold, a first year camp counselor and physics teacher. “We often group them together to see how they coincide their knowledge, develop ideas and compromise information.”

The camp puts an emphasis on implementing how science, technology, engineering and mathematics are significantly growing fields that are critical to society’s overall being.

“I am enjoying myself and having a lot of fun,” camper Damien Diaz said. “But honestly, these subjects that we cover isn’t the reason why I applied. I actually loved writing but I figured, I’ll be more prepared later toward my educational career, if I possessed more talents than just writing.”