Idaho Student Visits White House to Discuss STEM Education

Statement

Dear Friends,

Though she's just 14, Tylar Hedrick knows a lot about competition. She runs track, played basketball and volleyball and was a three-time National History Day winner at Lone Star Middle School in Nampa.

Tylar loves engineering and aspires to be an aerospace engineer at NASA. She was inspired by meeting astronaut Barbara Morgan first in 2008 and again in 2012, when students spoke with the International Space Station crew in orbit during an event at Boise State.

In May, Tylar was on a five-member team from Lone Star that won a 3D design and fabrication competition at the Discovery Center of Idaho. In June the Idaho STEM Action Center sent the students to the National Maker Faire in Washington, D.C., where they met U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith and Dale Dougherty, the father of the Maker Movement.

That led to the biggest moment yet for Tylar, now a freshman at Skyview High School. The STEM Action Center nominated her to participate in the first-ever meeting of White House Kid Science Advisors, a group convened to hear what's working inside and outside the classroom and how to better engage students in the STEM fields, science, technology, engineering and math.

Last Friday, Tylar, standing in photo above, was among 11 students from across the U.S. who visited the White House to present their ideas. They met with astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly, NASA Director Charles Bolden, National Science Foundation Director France Cordova and Dr. John Holdren, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Tylar was excited when President Obama walked in the room. After shaking hands with each student, the President took them to the Oval Office for photos and to collect souvenirs, including White House chocolates, M&Ms and a coveted Challenge Coin.

Reflecting on the moment, Tylar said, "I'm just taking it all in and thinking, "Wow, so many presidents have been in this room, so many things have happened here. This isn't a video. This isn't something I'm seeing on TV. This isn't a hologram. This is the actual President and I'm talking to him.'"

"What if we channeled the competitive energy into STEM activities?" she suggested to the President's advisors. "What we need is more competitions with the purpose of solving problems, no matter how big or small, using STEM."

Problem solving was the aim of Lone Star's winning entry at the FabSLAM, a collapsible human shelter carried like a suitcase. A White House video of the event includes a shot of Tylar showing off the Homeless Emergency Life Pack. For more, check out the cool web page describing the development of H.E.L.P. Also, watch a feature on KTVB-Channel 7 where Tylar shares her White House experience.

My office was delighted to assist Tylar in a small way with this trip. Tylar's mom, Christy Stansell, contacted us after the White House informed her that the deadline had been missed to attend the event and Tylar was no longer on the invite list. My staff contacted the White House to help resolve the confusion and were able to get her name back on the list. Even though we have many political differences, our office has always enjoyed a good working relationship with the White House and I am grateful that they worked with us to clear the way for Tylar to attend. The STEM Action Center covered some of the travel expenses for Tylar and her parents.

Upon her return Monday, Tylar's first stop was Lone Star. She thanked teachers including Aaron Moiso, her engineering teacher in seventh- and eighth-grades, who got a White House pen as a gift. "We are so grateful to Lone Star and especially Mr. Moiso for his support and encouragement of our daughter," Stansell said. "He's one of the reasons Tylar loves, excels and has a bright future in STEM."

Tylar's dad, Scott Hedrick, said Tylar has always been a serious and smart kid. But he credits her tenacity in dealing with difficult problems in math and other subjects. "She won't give up," he said. "She'll just stick with it."

That's a great model for any young person trying to solve problems and make a better America. Congratulations to Tylar and her family. You make Idaho proud.

Thank you,

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