EMU Today

YPSILANTI – Eastern Michigan University’s campus is stirring with excitement for the upcoming Wayne Westland Excursion Camp, which will take place from May 31 to June 3. This is the first year Engage@EMU has partnered with Wayne Westland School District to welcome nearly 700 fifth graders and expose students to various career paths.

The Excursion Camp will allow students to explore their future career paths and life on campus. Each day the program will begin around 9:45 a.m. and participants will attend a session from 10:30 a.m. until noon. After a brief lunch break, students will attend a second session from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

“It's nice to get students back to campus and back into the classroom,” said Jaclyn Hassenzahl, program coordinator of Engage@EMU. Students will have the opportunity to explore various careers such as health & fitness, fashion design, astronomy and physics, teacher education, journalism and writing, furniture and woodworking, and business, among several others. 

This opportunity will also include hands-on projects related to their chosen careers throughout the camp. Students can take the projects home and share them with their families and friends. According to Hassenzahl, the camp does not fall short of practical opportunities.

“The fashion design students will build a house out of cardboard,” said Hassenzahl. “The dance students will learn different types of dance and conduct a dance routine for the Wayne Westland administration team. The geography group will explore the campus using a geographic information system. The aviation and drone students will learn the importance of being a drone pilot, fly basic drones, and learning an aviation pilot's language.”

At the end of the camp, students will leave prepared to embark on their future careers with confidence. For more information about additional career areas or the Excursion Camp, visit The Engage@EMU website

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 15,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.