Sophia Porter, a senior at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, and the 2015 winner of the National Space Club Keynote Scholar award, is one motivated and inspiring teenager. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}The Keynote Scholar award is a competition among high school seniors, college students and graduate students.
“The National Space Club selected Sophia based on her strong academic record and impressive public speaking ability. During the nation-wide selection process, she inspired us to look at space through a new lens. We look forward to her remarks at our annual awards dinner,” said Gary Testut, president of The National Space Club, which fosters excellence in space activity by — among other things — its continuing program of educational support.
“We were incredibly excited to learn Sophia was one of three finalists for the National Space Club award, which is open to high school seniors through graduate level students. Within a few weeks of the Space Club announcement, we learned she was also a finalist for the AXA scholarship. It would be big news for someone to become a finalist in just one of these programs. To be a finalist for and then to have won one of these awards is a huge honor, and a tribute to Sophia’s hard work and dedication to her studies,” said Todd Clauer, upper school principal at HBHA.
“I have a lot of pride in her effort to get this far. To be chosen says a lot about what she did to prepare for this award,” continued Clauer.
As for motivation, Porter spent her junior year of high school winning one local award and two national awards: the Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) Innovator of the Year Scholarship, the RAVSAK Judaic Art Contest, in which she won first place for the high school division, and the Scholastic Art and Writing National American Voices Award.
In the past month, in addition to her heavy school workload, Porter has received early decision acceptance to Johns Hopkins University to study astrophysics; completed an astrophotography internship; won a Girls In Computing Scholarship through NCWIT, and is a finalist for the Arts Council of Johnson County’s Shooting Stars literature competition. She is also the finalist for one other nationally awarded scholarship: the AXA Achievement Scholarships Program.
National Space Club Keynote Scholar Award
Porter was surfing the Internet for scholarships when the National Space Club award caught her eye. In addition to the typical information required — transcripts, a list of achievements, etc. — applicants provided a three-minute video answer to the question “Why are you inspired by Space?” Anyone who knows Porter knows this is just the kind of question she loves to answer.
You see, Porter has spent much of her high school career following two passions: art and astrophysics.
“Art tends to calm me and help me focus, and astrophysics has helped me explore some of the big picture questions I have about life and existence itself. But these two areas are not exclusive,” said Porter. “In the video, I discussed how art has helped me hone my perspective on science and the influence of both of those pursuits on my life.
Porter was thrilled when she found out she won the award, which includes a $10,000 scholarship, and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., to be the keynote speaker of the club’s annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner, addressing a wide variety of aerospace professionals and educators.
“I am elated. I’m proud of the work I did to earn the National Space Club Award. “It was an introspective process as much as an expression of my thoughts,” Sophia said.
She is looking forward to attending the black tie affair, but it’s the attendees she most looks forward to:
“I’m hoping to meet some of the scientists and public figures who inspired my passion,” Sophia said.
As she celebrates the National Space Club award, Sophia is also waiting to hear whether she has won the AXA Achievement Scholarship. Open to high school seniors from across the United States, the AXA award honors one worthy applicant from each U.S. state with a $10,000 scholarship. Sophia has been named a finalist for the state of Kansas, and will learn this spring whether she wins that award as well.
“I applied with four essays, explaining my Blue Valley CAPS project, called Project SWIPE (Software to Improve Patient Experience). Project SWIPE is an app I developed to improve the experience of pediatric patients by helping to alleviate the stress of being in the hospital. After identifying some of the big challenges to being a young patient, I am currently working with Children’s Mercy Hospital to help patients use SWIPE to navigate the hospital. My scholarship essays explained how SWIPE is being developed, obstacles I have overcome in design and development, and the long-term impact I want to have,” she explained.
In addition to her work with Children’s Mercy, Sophia serves as a student board member of the InterUrban ArtHouse (IUAH), a local initiative whose mission is to make the arts more accessible to the local community. She enjoys designing and running programs for young adults with special needs, both through IUAH and through Ahoovim, a local organization serving those with special needs in the Jewish community.
True to form, Sophia looks at all of these opportunities as a learning experience.
“I feel I have learned so much about speech writing and science through the National Space Club application process. Reading about previous AXA Achievement Scholarship winners was really inspiring as well,” said Sophia. “And I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to continue doing similar community service projects in college next year.”
Sophia is excited, yet humble, in discussing the awards she has won, as well as the potential to win additional awards. She expresses a great deal of interest in learning about the topics the other finalists are discussing in their own applications.
She is also very appreciative of those who set the stage for her achievements.
“I am grateful to be surrounded by many champions in my life. I have such an incredible family, for starters. I also really appreciate all that my teachers and Mr. Clauer have done for me at HBHA. They have given me a lot of support and advice in pursuing my interests over the years. I feel fortunate to have received so much individual attention during my time at HBHA, and to have been exposed to HBHA’s superb science and art resources, all of which have helped strengthen my foundation in both areas,” Sophia said.
Continues Sophia, “One of my goals is to encourage and inspire others to pursue their own passions, especially when it comes to advancing science.”
“I look forward to watching Sophia continue in her studies and ultimately move the field of science forward during her career,” said Cody Welton, head of the science department at HBHA.
“To say we are proud is an understatement. This is incredible news. After watching Sophia work so hard each year to pursue her dreams, it is rewarding to see her gain national recognition for her efforts,” said Howard M Haas, HBHA Head of School, who plans to attend the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner in support of Sophia.{/mprestriction}