By Kimberly Chen,
Staff Writer
The air buzzed with excitement as senior Jackie Li entered their AP Physics class on April 5, curious mumbles permeating the air. To the class’s surprise, cameramen slipped into the room, clicks and shuffling feet capturing the attention of the students. Soon, the president of the Edison Scholars program walked in to award Li with a $50,000 scholarship on a bright yellow check.
“Jackie is an amazing person who definitely deserves this recognition,” AP Physics teacher Kevin Slattery said. “They immediately stood out to me when I subbed for their AP Chemistry class, and I was excited when I found out that they would receive this scholarship.”
Li first took interest in the scholarship after seeing a flyer in AP Calculus teacher Brenda Pan’s classroom. Over the course of several months, Li got to work on the required two essays and short video about the impact they wished to create by forging a path in science.
One of Li’s focuses in the video was their summers spent in rural China, which allowed them to connect to the natural world more easily compared to their life in Los Angeles County. By focusing on furthering research on biofuels and synthetic photosynthesis systems, Li hopes to bridge the gap between the public’s opinion of profit and the state of the climate.
“Hopefully, by introducing profitable alternatives to harmful programs like the Willow Project, more people will invest in safer programs,” Li said. “Seeing as how profits are often prioritized over the state of the climate, garnering attention for synthetic systems could align the best interests of the world with the interests of those in power.”
While Li received no communication from the Edison Scholars program for two months, Edison contacted counselor Nathan Slaymaker in early March to inform him of Li’s success, who subsequently informed Slattery that Li would receive the award during his class.
The president of the program and Li’s family hid on campus before surprising Li with their presence and the check. Videographers entered the classroom beforehand to record Li’s reaction as the president gave a brief speech regarding the importance of science and its progress before presenting the award.
By pursuing a higher education within science, Li plans to continue researching within laboratories, eventually expanding on the sciences behind synthetic systems. Their work would ideally inspire others and create opportunities for them to spark the minds of youth interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“I want to allow the youth to have readily available support if they choose to pursue the sciences like I did,” Li said. “I didn’t necessarily have the support I wish I could’ve had now when going down the path of STEM, so I’m hoping that I can use the resources and opportunities I have now to encourage the younger generation.”
Li’s experience in science includes events such as the National Ocean Science Bowl and Science Olympiad competitions. They also interned within the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine with a focus on bioinformatics.
“I genuinely couldn’t believe that I won the scholarship since my expectations were so low,” Li said. “It’s a relief, however, because now I don’t have to worry about my financial situation in the future, which means I can shift my focus on creating a better future for the Earth.”