Bonney Lake High School Graduate selected as delegate to National Youth Science Camp

June 22, 2023 10:35 am
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Bonney Lake’s Love Oluwaleye has been selected as a delegate to the National Youth Science Camp; Image courtesy National Youth Science Academy
Bonney Lake’s Love Oluwaleye has been selected as a delegate to the National Youth Science Camp; Image courtesy National Youth Science Academy

This week Love Oluwaleye starts an unforgettable adventure in science, the arts, and the great outdoors. The Bonney Lake High School graduate joins nearly 100 delegates from across the United States and nine Western Hemisphere countries at the National Youth Science Camp.

Oluwaleye was selected for his excellence in STEM and overall education, extracurricular activities, community service, and his potential for future achievements and leadership. He is currently studying Computer Science at Pacific Lutheran University and plans to be a programmer.

For the first time in the camp’s 60-year history the 2023 NYSCamp will be a hybrid experience composed of a five-day virtual camp followed by several weeks at Camp Pocahontas in Bartow, West Virginia – the first return to an in-person experience in three years. The camp will culminate in a two-day trip to Washington D.C.

During camp delegates will learn about an array of STEM topics from more than 50 world-class presenters from institutions including Rice University and Texas A&M, innovators from NASA and Northrop Grumman, and trailblazers like a bestselling author and an internationally chart topping podcaster.

The camp will also include arts and recreational programming, an outdoor program with caving, mountain biking, and backpacking, as well as special musical events and other fun surprises. Most importantly, the delegates will meet diverse, yet like-motivated peers to build lasting friendships.

“I am absolutely thrilled that we will be back in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia for our 60th anniversary,” said NYSCamp Director, Brian Kinghorn, Ph.D. “My staph [purposely misspelled because of their infectious enthusiasm] and I are eager to provide life-changing and horizon-expanding opportunities for each of our amazing delegates.”

Since its inception, the NYSCamp has honored over 6,300 students, giving them the opportunity to participate in a rigorous STEM enrichment program. Operated by the National Youth Science Academy, its mission is to inspire lifelong engagement and ethical leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through its proven educational model for mentoring, challenging, and motivating students.

For the first time in the camp’s 60-year history, the application process was opened to rising high school seniors as well as graduating high school seniors. These high-achieving students were selected by their states’ Governors’ offices or U.S. Embassies in their countries because they are among the best and brightest science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) students in the Western Hemisphere. In addition to a shared affinity for studying STEAM topics and pursuing STEAM careers, they also demonstrated marked excellence in their STEM and overall education, extracurricular activities, community service, and potential for future achievements and leadership. Domestic delegates will represent 45 states and Washington, DC. Additionally, thanks to a generous grant from the Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA) division of the U.S. State Department, the international delegation will include 13 delegates from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Throughout their camp experience, delegates will also have opportunities to attend multiple seminars and 3-day directed studies with STEM experts, participate in an outdoor program that includes caving, mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, and camping, and tour the Green Bank Observatory and monuments and museums in Washington, DC. The camp will also include arts and recreational programming as well as special musical events and other fun surprises. Overall, the camp is designed to provide delegates with opportunities to interact with STEM experts, build lasting friendships, and get a jump start on changing the world for good.

In addition to the generous contribution and cooperation from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the camp was also made possible through generous contributions from the State of West Virginia, Northrup Grumman, the Martha Gaines and Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation, the Daywood Foundation, and NYSCamp alumni and friends.

– NYSCamp Office

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