WESTMINSTER, Vt. – For many students, their first trip to New York City is a memorable experience, but for Westminster Center School sixth grader Alexa Bush, it was not just a visit to the bustling city – it was an immersion into the world of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at the National Youth Leadership Forum in July of this year.
Nominated by her teacher Amanda Mayo and selected to attend, Alexa found herself at St. John’s University, participating in the National Youth Leadership Forum: Pathways to STEM with students from across the Northeast. Mrs. Mayo’s recognition of Alexa’s strengths in math and science, and her encouragement, played a pivotal role, paving the way for Alexa to explore and thrive in the STEM environment. This unique opportunity allowed her to delve into her passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, while giving her a taste of that science camp life.
According to her mother Taya Prior, this experience contributed to a sense of independence; Alexa had no qualms about traveling four hours away from home and staying overnight on the St. John’s campus, an experience that has allowed her to already envision her future academic pursuits.
One of the highlights of Alexa’s STEM adventure was the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities, including dissecting a calf heart, which allowed her to explore the medical field and her interest in becoming a veterinarian, finding the activity both ‘gross and cool.’ The camp’s activities extended beyond traditional classroom learning, incorporating group projects that included engineering challenges like creating an amusement park ride, and technology challenges like beginning robotics programming.
Alexa’s STEM journey wasn’t just about academic exploration; it was also about building connections. Through these group projects and collaborative activities, she had the opportunity to meet and work with likeminded students from all over the Northeast, sharing fun experiences that extended beyond science experiments and included magic shows, movies, and variety shows, and Alexa continues to stay in touch with some of the students. As her teacher noted, “I was so glad to be able to encourage Alexa in this direction, and am excited about sharing her experience to encourage other students in STEM activities.”