West Virginia’s country roads took me home to quiet Camp Pocahontas, hidden behind the lush, green trees. National Youth Science Camp (NYSC) showed me the world of STEM: shining, shimmering, splendid. Moving beyond precise titrations, lecturers exposed thermonuclear fusion, fuel cells, and galactic interactions. I picked up tips from biology seminars, the most important being: anything higher than SPF 35 is a waste of money (a frugal tip for an Arizonan). Furthermore, the physics studies were absolutely engaging, from smashing...

Overcoming a challenge

One of the greatest challenges I have had is performing STEM Club president duties, while effectively carrying out the requests of the club’s adult adviser. Although the program design is to be a student run club, it functioned in a self-centered manner creating discontent, frustration and havoc. With STEM members meeting two or three times more frequently and twice as long as other clubs, I was aware demands were considerably high going. Regardless, I chose to embrace this leadership...