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Looking back, 2017 has certainly been a whirlwind of excitement. I’ve traveled to both coasts of the United States, spoken at incredible STEM events with some of the most influential people I’ve ever met in my life, and continued to do what I love, sharing my passion for learning.

I started off my year as the 2017 STEM Pillar winner in February with a film crew and members from National 4‑H Council arriving at my home in Mogadore, Ohio. We filmed for a few days at my home and school to create my Pillar Video. I had such a wonderful time getting to know all the crew and Council members and had a wonderful start to my experience as a Pillar winner.

In March, I began readying myself to embark on what has been the adventure of a lifetime. I flew out to Washington, D.C. for the official 4‑H Legacy Awards ceremony. I had a wonderful stay at National 4‑H Conference Center and enjoyed sightseeing in the D.C. area. While in D.C. I got to meet three of the most inspiring and driven youth I know: Amelia Day, Bryanne Sanchez, and Bubba Sugarman, the other three 2017 Pillar winners. We had media training, photo sessions, tours, hung out with each other and our families, and an overall amazing week. When the night of the Legacy Awards came around, it was so surreal. Just being in a room with so many incredibly influential and powerful people was an experience beyond words. I met some of my biggest idols and found so many new incredible people to look up to. The representatives from my sponsor, HughesNet, were an absolute delight to sit with at the ceremony and just as wonderful as we kept contact throughout the year.

ava lonneman, youth in action, ohio, 4-h, STEM 

When I returned from D.C., I had a lot of local paper interviews, and I was even interviewed for RFD-TV. I loved sharing my journey and my message of empowerment with the world. In May, as the school year was beginning to wind down, I set off on my next trip. I flew all the way from Ohio to San Diego California! I had the incredible opportunity of serving as a speaker on a STEM Mentors panel at the U.S. News and World Report STEM Solutions Conference. I got to meet Ursula Burns, Susan Hockfield, and Ellen Ochoa, some of the most powerful women in the STEM world.

When summer rolled around, I had an even busier schedule than during the school year. The week I got off of school, I headed straight to Washington, D.C. on a bus full of other Ohio youth to participate in Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF). I had a great time and met a lot of new people. When I returned from D.C., I headed straight to 4‑H Camp for my third year as a counselor. Once camp was over, it was time for the County Fair life skills project judging and then the State Fair. As soon as I got back home from the state fair, I was onto the next pillar activity. I headed back to Washington, D.C. to host the 4‑H National Youth Science Day Preview Event, hosted by HughesNet.

ava lonneman, youth in action, ohio, 4-h, STEM

When I got back home from my final trip to D.C., it was time to prepare for the County Fair. This year I was named the 2017 First Runner-Up Portage County Fair Queen. I had a whole booth at the Fair dedicated to my time as the STEM Pillar winner and had a wonderful time representing 4‑H.

For my final event as the 2017 STEM Pillar winner, I went to New York City to help host 4‑H National Youth Science Day. I had a great time working with all the students and meeting STEM Ambassadors from around the country. I also had the opportunity to present trophies to two of the three 4‑H NYSD sponsors, HughesNet and Lockheed Martin, and thank them for their continued support of 4‑H.

The past year has been filled with so many incredible opportunities. I’ve had an abundance of new adventures and visited so many new places. Most importantly I met some pretty incredible people and made some amazing new friends. The 4‑H Youth in Action title certainly came with a lot of responsibilities, and they were all incredible. I would never trade my experience for anything in the world.  I am forever thankful for National 4‑H Council and all of their sponsors for growing the leaders of tomorrow and making the best better.

More from Ava

A Platform to Make an Impact

Previewing 4‑H National Youth Science Day

 

Employment in STEM is growing, and 4‑H is preparing today’s generation for these opportunities. I had the opportunity to partner with Click2Science to share the importance of preparing our students for a future STEM career.

There are always two sides to every story, and when it comes to mentoring, the same rule applies. For those seeking a mentor, there is the need for an outside perspective and a desire to unlock our full potential. When seeking mentoring opportunities, we want to pay it forward and to share our knowledge, skills, and compassion with someone else. Mentoring is a powerful tool, and no matter which side you’re on, it’s a relationship that benefits all involved.

This National Mentoring Month, we’re highlighting stories from both sides of the spectrum—the mentor and the mentee—and how the relationship can help create new perspectives, develop new skills, and present new opportunities.

In Baltimore, Maryland, young members of the Waverly Star Wars 4-H STEM Club (part of the 4-H National Mentoring Program)  held a community service project in which they held a fun, interactive demonstration and workshop on coding and robotics. Although under the supervision of adult mentors, club members between the ages of five and eight years old led the session during the 2017 Maryland STEM Festival to teach students about coding through the Daisy the Dinosaur coding app.

As a result of their participation, club members learned the importance of peer mentoring, giving back to their community, and developed leadership skills. Through their learning, they didn’t let their age be a barrier to making an impact.

Even Baltimore City Council Woman Mary Pat Clarke (District 14), took notice and applauded the youth for their knowledge and leadership.

Disclaimer

The program described here is funded through grants from OJJPD, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this page (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).

4‑H Mentoring: Waverly Star Wars 4‑H STEM Club

The 4‑H National Youth Science Day preview event was a fun-filled day of activity. We started the day with a private tour of the HughesNet offices in Germantown, Maryland, where we learned about the recent developments and launching of the Gen5 satellite. We were able to peer into their secret world full of computer monitors, where the HughesNet team works around the clock monitoring the reach of their global service. They have real-time interactive maps showing the connectivity and level of service at any given moment. It was incredible to see how far reaching their network extends, and how they continually monitor its progress. I would never have imagined the magnitude of the size of their satellite if it were not for the photos documenting its construction on the wall.

Following the tour, students from the D.C. and Maryland area 4‑H clubs came to the HughesNet facility to experience the preview of the newest 4‑H NYSD project, Incredible Wearables, first hand. This event provides an opportunity for 4‑H to test the Beta version of the year’s challenge. At the start of the event, I presented a general overview of the curriculum, and then we dove into the project kit. The Incredible Wearable project will be the 10th 4‑H National Youth Science Day project hosted by National 4‑H. This year’s project is a fun way to learn about the components that go into making a fitness tracker. The challenge involves building a health monitor with four constraints: size, aesthetics, available components, and time. The goal of the challenge is for youth to apply the engineering design process by analyzing their creation and figuring out ways to refine the design to meet the project constraints.

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The challenge started out by teaching the youth how to find their pulse and determine the average for their group. From there we started in on the build process. As with any beta trial run, you will discover things that could be improved or refined. This was the case for not only the youth but for those of us running the event as well. We worked through the challenges, and in the end were successful at getting all the devices powered up and communicating with a mobile device. All of the feedback was collected by 4‑H to improve the devices and provide guidance for 4‑H members across the country on how to prepare for 4‑H NYSD events.

All of the youth teams were able to take their monitor outside where they could have some space to move around. They jumped rope, hula hooped and did jumping jacks to increase their heart rate. The tracker recorded the data and sent it to their mobile device. It was great to see all the youth participating and creating the tracker as a team. They had very different ideas of how to attach the components and were quite creative. One team even made a glove out of felt that worked incredibly well.

This experience helped me to see just how much goes into to creating a project, such as Incredible Wearables. While I have lead 4‑H NYSD curriculum prior to this, I did not give much thought into what it takes to create a project that will be educational, fun, and successful for a large group of youth. The Incredible Wearables project, while a bit difficult to get started, turned out to be a big success that was enjoyed by all. I am grateful to National 4‑H for all the magnificent opportunities I have had so far and am looking forward to the 4‑H NYSD event on October 4th in New York.

These days, every piece of technology created has a modified, safer simpler version for kids. After all, we are in the digital age, and how can we possibly progress in a world that is powered by technology if we aren’t giving future leaders the tools to continue innovating and expanding on these trends.

If you haven’t heard by now, 4‑H National Youth Science is adding wearable technology to its now 10-year catalog with the 2018 4‑H NYSD Challenge, Incredible Wearables, giving kids the opportunity to build a custom fitness tracker of their own. It’s a great opportunity to teach youth about the power of technology in everything we do, and how they can take part in helping create technology that can serve us now and in the future.

To help build excitement for the new challenge, we are shouting out some of our favorite kid-friendly wearable tech tools:

VTech 80-171600 Kidizoom Smartwatch DX (2nd Generation)

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You’re going to love this cool watch with a built-in camera, games, and activities to help keep kids moving!

LeapFrog LeapBand

With over 50 built-in challenges, getting kids to get active is easier than ever.

Swimband Personal Drowning Detection System

4-h national youth science day, nysd, wearable tech, kid-friendly, science, fitness, healthy living, safety, tracker. STEM

Safety comes first for this versatile band that tracks kids’ activities in and around water.

FiLIP 2 Smart Locator with Voice for Kids, Watermelon Red (AT&T)

4-h national youth science day, nysd, wearable tech, kid-friendly, science, fitness, healthy living, safety, tracker. STEM

With a flick of the wrist, kids can easily get in touch with emergency contacts, while allowing adults to keep tabs on their whereabouts with a built-in GPS.

iBitz Kids Activity Tracker

Set challenges and reward kids for staying active with this cool-colored clip-on tracker.

Encourage youth to create a health and fitness tracker with the 2018 4‑H National Youth Science Day Challenge, Incredible Wearables!

HughesNet is excited to join 4‑H as a national sponsor in celebrating the 10th annual 4‑H National Youth Science Day (NYSD) when it kicks off across the country on October 4, 2017. 4‑H NYSD is an interactive learning experience that gets youth excited about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and spotlights the many ways millions of youth are engaging in 4‑H Science programs year-round.

With a shared passion for STEM, 4‑H and HughesNet aim to inspire the next generation of scientists by introducing more youth to hands-on, community-based science projects, and 4‑H NYSD does just that! HughesNet is thrilled to play a role in connecting young people from around the world in an exciting, interactive STEM challenge that utilizes engineering principles we integrate into our work every day.

Access to quality science, technology, engineering and math education shouldn’t be determined by where you live. Kids all across the U.S. should have access to hands-on STEM learning. Not only is it important for the development of our youth, but it’s also critical for our country’s future. To help 4‑H reach even more youth, HughesNet sponsored a Raise Your Hand for STEM campaign, giving the ten states with the most votes 100 4‑H NYSD kits. This will allow an additional 10,000 kids across the country to participate in the challenge!

This year’s challenge, Incredible Wearables, designed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, offers youth the opportunity to learn how circuits, sensors and health data can be blended with fashion to create a wearable tech product. During the interactive project, these future engineers will work together to design their very own fitness wearable and test their device in real-time by wearing them during brief exercise activities.

“2017 will mark the fourth year of 4‑H NYSD sponsorship for HughesNet — a milestone in our ongoing partnership with 4‑H to promote STEM education nationwide,” said Peter Gulla, senior vice president, marketing, Hughes Network Systems. “Since 2013, HughesNet and 4‑H have helped provide hands-on STEM activities to thousands of youth across the country each year. We are proud to witness the exponential growth of 4‑H NYSD into the world’s largest youth-led science challenge.”

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On August 8, Ava Lonneman, our 2017 4‑H Youth in Action STEM pillar winner, hosted a 4‑H National Youth Science Day preview event at Hughes headquarters for local students from Montgomery and Frederick County, Maryland. Ava shared her 4‑H story and helped the young engineering teams design their very own wearable fitness monitor, complete with a programmable Wi-Fi enabled microcontroller and sensors for monitoring data on a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Some participants were so excited about optimizing their health monitor that they opted for a wearable glove to better track movement data! You can watch the highlight video here.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of the 2017 4‑H NYSD event! Click here to order a kit for your club today. For more information on HughesNet’s STEM partnership with 4‑H, please visit www.hughesnet.com/4H.

4‑H recently announced a nationwide collaboration with Bayer to address the need for an enhanced STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workforce by planting a love of scientific exploration in thousands of youth in urban and rural areas across the country. The new program, Science Matters, is designed to equip at least 25,000 students with the tools they need to deepen their understanding of science.

Check out the new infographic, which perfectly demonstrates why science matters!

Learn more about the 4‑H and Bayer partnership!

With less than four months until the 2017 4‑H National Youth Science Day event, excitement is building as 4-H clubs, schools, after-school programs and more are preparing for this national youth-led science experiment. Watch as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln – developers of the 2017 4-H NYSD Challenge, Incredible Wearables – shares the importance of 4-H STEM programming and check out the new engineering challenge in action!

There’s still time to pre-order the official 4-H NYSD Challenge kit from the 4-H Mall at a discounted price. Visit the website to purchase your kits today.

Learn more about 4-H National Youth Science Day!

When it comes to creating success in one’s career, sometimes the greatest obstacle can be ourselves. Lori Dawson has experienced this challenge firsthand. While her journey in the field of engineering began with the desire to solve complex problems by interacting and communicating with others, speaking up and using her voice was a struggle. As senior director of Engineering and Network Operations at U.S. Cellular, Dawson admits that very early in her career, she struggled with having confidence in her ability.

“I would often know the answer,” she recalls, “but hang back and allow others to speak and then I would speak up in support of their answer.”

Now, after learning to “jump in and speak up,” Lori Dawson understands the value of growing confidence in young people, and she is committed making learning opportunities available at an early age through the 4-H/U.S. Cellular partnership.

She shared her insights on why it’s important for organizations to attract diversity in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, and how 4-H and U.S. Cellular are working collectively on these efforts.

What do you think are the current barriers to achieving more diversity in STEM career fields?

Lori Dawson (LD): I believe one of the barriers to achieving more diversity in STEM career fields is the opportunities available at a young age.  Today there are many opportunities to participate in various sporting events for young children but very limited opportunities for those interested in STEM. Children need STEM activities that are fun, challenging and rewarding to attract more diversity to the field.


What can organizations do to get more girls interested in STEM careers?

LD: I believe organizations can assist with attracting girls to STEM careers by allowing girls into the organization for job shadowing or internships.  Also, organizations should strengthen their involvement in the community, bringing to life what STEM careers are available and the rewards that come with those careers.

expertseries-usc-boys

 

Why do you think the 4-H/U.S. Cellular partnership is critical for sparking STEM interest in youth? How has the partnership been successful?

LD: I see the partnership between 4-H and U.S. Cellular as critical for the future of our youth and the success of U.S. Cellular.  From a 4-H perspective, U.S. Cellular can assist 4-H in bringing to life STEM opportunities and U.S. Cellular will benefit from the future leaders that 4-H is developing as they are our next technology leaders.

Recently, U.S. Cellular has ventured outside of their STEM partnership with 4-H, now serving as a sponsor of the 2017 4-H Youth in Action Award Citizenship Pillar. How does the topic of community service align with U.S. Cellular’s mission and values as an organization?

LD: Community service and involvement are the core to who U.S. Cellular is.  The Engineering teams at U.S. Cellular live and work in the markets they serve.  All associates are encouraged to get engaged in the communities where they live and work.


How do you think 4-H is preparing today’s young people, particularly girls, to be leaders in life?

LD: I believe 4-H has a history of developing strong leadership skills by developing, communication, and confidence in our youth.  4-H assists our youth in developing and practicing critical thinking skills.  4-H not only does this for young girls but all young people engaged in 4-H.

expertseries-usc-girls

 

What are your thoughts on ways we can encourage young women to pursue entrepreneurial and leadership opportunities?

LD: I think from a very young age we need to encourage young girls to actively participate in science and math classes.  To reward their participation and challenge them to think differently.  We also need to look for and encourage opportunities for young girls to get involved in activities such as 4-H, Lego League, etc.


What is your vision for the next generation of women in STEM and leadership?

LD: I see the next generation of women in STEM leading the way for significant growth in technology.  The technology marketplace is growing at a pace faster than ever, and I see women developing the vision and leading through the technology evolution.


Learn more about the 4-H and U.S. Cellular partnership.
Winning the 2017 4‑H Youth in Action STEM Pillar Award is a life-changing experience. There have been so many wonderful adventures that I don’t know where to begin! The Legacy Awards dinner was awe inspiring. There were so many people who were supportive of 4‑H and its mission. Everyone was so interested in me and my accomplishments. Representatives from HughesNet, my pillar sponsor, were such great people, and I really enjoyed sitting down for dinner with them.

The few days I spent in Washington, D.C. are some of the most amazing memories of my life. I was fortunate enough to meet and spend time with the three other pillar winners — Amelia, Bryanne, and Bubba — who are amazing youth inside and out. They have a passion and genuine drive for helping those in their communities and being True Leaders. Although the time we spent with one another was short, I feel we have made lifelong friendships.

Over the past two months, I have been provided the opportunity to meet so many amazing new and influential people. From the camera crew out of St. Louis to the National 4‑H Council staff in Washington D.C., and even the Council President and CEO, Jennifer Sirangelo (I was a little star struck). The entire experience has been mind-boggling. There are times when I sit and think, “Wow, did all of this really happen!?” When first receiving the news that I had been selected as the 2017 STEM Pillar Winner, I was honestly in utter disbelief. I was so excited, I didn’t know what to do.

While the experience has been extremely rewarding and exciting, it has also been slightly overwhelming to comprehend the positive impact I can have on youth at a national level. I am looking forward to getting youth and adults involved in bringing hands-on STEM programming to their communities, and bringing awareness to learning disabilities and the lack of women in STEM fields. I am so thankful to have been chosen as the 2017 4‑H Youth in Action STEM Pillar Award winner; now I can make an impact on a much larger platform.