Local students receive STEM honors

Melissa Li (left) of Buchholz High School and Abigail Dagins of Eastside High School will be recognized by the state for their achievements in the STEM program.
Melissa Li (left) of Buchholz High School and Abigail Dagins of Eastside High School will be recognized by the state for their achievements in the STEM program.
Courtesy of Alachua County Public Schools

Two Alachua County students will attend a statewide conference Thursday in Orlando and be recognized as 2023 Sunshine State Scholars.

The two students – Abigail Dagins of Eastside High School and Melissa Li of Buchholz High School – will be honored for their achievements in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The two will be the Alachua County Public Schools’ (ACPS) representatives to the Sunshine State Scholars program. The program recognizes high school juniors from across Florida who demonstrate excellence in STEM-related activities.

The attending scholars will attend workshops, meet with state leaders, and network with representatives from Florida colleges, universities and STEM-related businesses.

Become A Member

Mainstreet does not have a paywall, but pavement-pounding journalism is not free. Join your neighbors who make this vital work possible.

Dagins is enrolled in Eastside’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program. She has participated in school-based extracurricular activities that include robotics, science fairs and the environmental club. She’s also been active in the Humane Society of North Central Florida and the Girl Scouts.  

In her qualifying essay, Dagins wrote about the award-winning research she’s done that focuses on reducing waste and pollution using mealworms and other organisms in recycling plastics at home. The Eastside junior’s goal is to continue working on protecting the environment throughout college and beyond.

“I want to be able to contribute unique and innovative solutions for the worldwide challenges of plastic waste and pollution,” she said in an ACPS press release. 

Li has been active in multiple activities at Buchholz that include leadership positions with the math team, CoderGirls, debate club and Computer Oriented Mathematical Problem-Solving Club. She’s won various awards for STEM-related competitions and has been teaching competitive math to younger students.

The Buchholz junior’s essay focused on the importance of helping children find and develop a passion for a subject through engaging, hands-on activities.

“Pushing students out of their comfort zones through personalized challenges would ignite their competitive spirit and makes the learning experience fun,” she said in an ACPS press release.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments