As CCI’s four-week, pre-collegiate, academic summer program, FSU iCamp wrapped up its eighth consecutive year of teaching high school students about various careers in technology and computing fields. Funded by the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program, iCamp is designed to inspire and prepare high school students for collegiate studies and careers in STEM-related fields through interactive activities and projects.
“It’s honestly a great opportunity to learn new skills that could take you places in the future, as well as making great and meaningful connections that could open new doors and provide opportunities you would never expect,” said iCamp ambassador and former iCamp student Tolulope Binitie.
iCamp 2025 included 25 students, seven ambassadors, and over 10 guest speakers and instructors to discuss the four primary topics of this year’s program: mobile apps, graphic design tools, health information technology, and artificial intelligence (AI). Through these topics, students created mobile apps, designed campaign advertisements, developed AI game projects, conducted data analysis, and so much more.
“This is my third year teaching graphic design at iCamp, and each year I am blown away by the talent of these students. They are so quick to understand and apply the concepts I teach that I often need to come up with additional assignments just to hope to challenge them,” shared iCamp instructor, Michael Walsh.
iCamp is co-directed by CCI Senior Research Specialist Faye Jones and Associate Dean of Finance & Administration Ebe Randeree, who co-founded the summer program in 2018. Jones and Randeree have focused on both familiarizing local students with various areas of computing and integrating foundational skills that can be applied across all majors.
“One of the things this camp does is provide opportunities. How to work in teams, how to work with employers, and how to express your thoughts and feelings about a subject matter. It teaches students to learn what they like, what they don’t like, and what areas in computing they really feel strong in,” said Jones.
Beyond the classroom, students experienced college life at FSU and developed far more than hard technical skills. iCamp students ate at the Suwannee Room dining hall, spoke with the FSU Career Center, visited the Innovation Hub, and toured Doak Campbell Stadium.
“You’re not just sitting in front of a screen coding for four weeks. You develop leadership, communication, and relationship skills, not just with each other, but with your counselors and mentors. You become almost like a little family,” said Randeree.
If you are a student considering iCamp, Randeree recommends asking your teachers about iCamp, talking to your peers about their experiences with the program, and following iCamp social media to get an idea of what the program is like. Many iCamp students even wished they had joined the program earlier in their high school careers.
2025 iCamp student Serenity Daniels shared, “We were able to have hands-on experiences working with different teams every week, elaborate on our different decisions, and come up with cool ideas. I’ve always been a technical person, but I’ve learned more from iCamp than what I usually learn on a day-to-day basis.”
To learn more about iCamp, check out our FSU iCamp video below!