Family of Atatiana Jefferson pass her passion for STEAM to young minds

FORT WORTH, Texas.com (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Atatiana Jefferson was studying to go to medical school when she was killed. To pass on her love for science and technology to the next generation her siblings created the Atatiana Project STEAM Summer Camp.

"Our goal was to not focus on how she died but how she can be remembered," said Ashley Carr, Atatiana Jefferson's sister.

This was the third summer they've held the week-long camp on the campus of TCU. It's a completely free camp for kids that exposes them to the world of coding, robots, radio signals and much more.

STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.

"We pick kids from urban areas who are from families who maybe can't afford to send their kids to summer camp,"

Aiden Humphrey, an upcoming high school freshman, found a new passion for coding.

"It just has the feeling of you making the stuff on your own and it feels something good about it," said Humphrey. "Like playing your own game or making your own working website."

Other students fell in love with engineering.

"I just like taking apart stuff and rebuilding it," camper Ricky Rodriguez said.

Although it is the last day of camp the learning doesn't end here. Students get to take home their very own laptop.

"What we learned during the pandemic is that a lot of kids do not have technology,"

The camp, which runs on community donations has grown from just 22 students in their first year to 45 students this summer.

For Carr, instilling an interest in STEAM in these young minds is a way to keep her sister's memory alive.

"It makes me feel like 'Tay' is still living through all the kids," Carr said.