Out of school informal learning environments provide an excellent experience for students to develop scientific curiosity and critical thinking skills. Currently, there is a range of methods available for supporting STEM learning. As schools focus on college and career readiness, while giving high school students opportunities to take college level classes at community colleges and/or advanced placement classes to learn the content necessary to take exams that will award them college credit, there are several other modalities that colleges could use to support high school STEM learners. This article examines how out of school engagements on university and college campuses can help bridge the gap between high school and university experiences. We examine data collected as students from diverse populations participate in one out of school engagement at a university that focused on forensic science. Our analysis focuses on the progressions of students' argumentation abilities, content knowledge, and development of interest in forensic science. The results suggest that out of school engagements on college campuses have the potential to provide critical support to developing high school students in the area of forensic science.