CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Thursday, students presented their work and what they have learned to the public at the John Paul Jones Arena after three weeks of learning about different careers that Central Virginia needs most.

Starr Hill Pathways Summer Camp is a program run through the University of Virginia Equity Center that gives Charlottesville and Albemarle County students a way to explore what they might want to do when they grow up.

There were 170 Starr Scholars from the surrounding community showcasing what they did.

"Yeah, I did have a lot of fun. It's a big opportunity because before I was not doing nothing and stuff. I would probably just be at home, sitting on the couch, watching TV," said 13-year-old Starr Scholar Winter Evans.

Evans picked culinary arts and performing arts to study.

"The whole goal is educational opportunity and we believe that there are students in Charlottesville and Albemarle that don't necessarily have the opportunities across race and socio-economic lines," said Dr. Ben Allen.

Allen, the executive director of the center, says it’s a way for younger kids to experience a different setting.

"All the things that they are interested in, they just get to do it here at UVA and pretend that they are college students," he said.

"We learned how to cook and stuff. Some people, they didn't even know how to work a stove and stuff. And we learned knife skills and stuff. Like a lot of stuff that I didn't know before," Winter said.

After this summer, the center will remain involved in their lives.

"Our goal is just to open the doors of the university, connect them to different interests and passions, and then support them also throughout the school year to make sure they keep their grades up, have mentors, have different things they can do during the school year to stay engaged," said Allen.

This is the first time since the beginning of the program that parents and community members were able to see how each scholar spent their summer.