News Release
Aidan Spencer receives $5,000 scholarship, sponsored by HughesNet, and will serve as 4-H’s national youth spokesperson for STEM
Chevy Chase, MD (October 5, 2020) – In celebration of National 4-H Week, National 4-H Council today announced that Aidan Spencer, 18, of Oklahoma City, Okla., is the winner of the 2021 4-H and HughesNet Youth in Action Pillar Award for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Spencer organized more than 60 events, raised $7,000 and founded three local robotics teams in effort to expand STEM access for youth in his community—efforts for which he will be recognized nationally and receive a $5,000 scholarship. The 4-H Youth in Action Awards, sponsored in part by HughesNet, began in 2010 to recognize 4-H’ers who have used the knowledge they gained in 4-H to create a lasting impact in their communities.
Spencer, an Oklahoma State University Extension 4-H’er, is addressing the STEM opportunity gap that many young people, especially minorities, face. Based on his own experiences, he is particularly focused on two critical barriers – exposure to diverse STEM topics and funding to support STEM programming.
In conjunction with his local 4-H robotics team, Spencer partnered with STEM organizations like the STEM Achievement Foundation and youth-serving groups that target vulnerable populations to bring more than 60 STEM exposure events to his community. Alongside these initiatives, Spencer created a business plan to raise more than $7,000 to support STEM and robotics programs in Oklahoma City. Through his efforts, he has launched three new FIRST Lego League Robotics Teams in his area and is bridging the exposure gap by creating a more diverse STEM experience for young people in his Oklahoma City community.
“What Aidan has done to advance STEM access in his community is inspiring and exemplifies what it means to be a youth leader,” said Peter Gulla, senior vice president of marketing for HughesNet. “We are honored to help Aidan continue his STEM advocacy efforts and can’t wait to see what his future holds. HughesNet and 4-H recognize that expanding STEM access to adolescents of all backgrounds is the key to continuing innovation.”
In addition to receiving the HughesNet STEM scholarship for higher education, Spencer will serve as an advocate and spokesperson for 4-H STEM programming. He is joined by three other 2021 Youth in Action Pillar Winners, Madelyn Zimmerman of Indiana (Agriculture), Elizabeth Weidner of Illinois (Civic Engagement) and Mayyadah Zagelow of Washington (Healthy Living).
Aidan’s Road to STEM
Spencer, a strong student in school, hadn’t always been interested in STEM. However, that all changed when a debilitating car accident left him recovering for months and unable to participate in activities he had once loved. “I thought basketball was my purpose in life, and when it was taken away from me, I felt like I had nothing to offer,” said Spencer.
During his recovery, a friend invited him to a 4-H Robotics Club meeting. Spencer hesitantly agreed, and immediately discovered his new passion. Spencer realized, like many kids, he was so focused on basketball—a sport he loved and consumed much of his free time—that he had missed other opportunities. To help address this for other kids in his community, he pairs activities he knows they already love, like basketball, with exposure to new STEM topics.
The high school senior hopes exposing youth to STEM will allow them to see more options for their futures, as it did for him. Spencer is currently taking classes at Rose State College and plans to study business with a certification in non-profits and a minor in political science.
To learn more about 4-H Youth in Action and to view the other pillar winners from around the country, please visit: www.4-h.org/youthinaction.
ABOUT 4-H
4-H, the nation’s largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. 4-H programs empower nearly six million young people across the U.S. through experiences that develop critical life skills. 4-H is the youth development program of our nation’s Cooperative Extension System and USDA, and serves every county and parish in the U.S. through a network of 110 public universities and more than 3,000 local Extension offices. Globally, 4-H collaborates with independent programs to empower one million youth in 50 countries. The research-backed 4-H experience grows young people who are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two times more likely to be civically active; and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs.
Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H.
About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in broadband satellite technology and services for home and office. Its flagship high-speed satellite Internet service is HughesNet®, the world’s largest satellite network with over 1.5 million residential and business customers across the Americas. For large enterprises and governments, the company’s HughesON™ managed network services provide complete connectivity solutions employing an optimized mix of satellite and terrestrial technologies. The JUPITER™ System is the world’s most widely deployed High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) platform, operating on more than 40 satellites by leading service providers, delivering a wide range of broadband enterprise, mobility and cellular backhaul applications. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 7 million terminals of all types to customers in over 100 countries, representing approximately 50 percent market share, and its technology is powering broadband services to aircraft around the world.
Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes operates sales and support offices worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), a premier global provider of satellite operations. For additional information about Hughes, please visit www.hughes.com and follow @HughesConnects
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