On February 22, 2025, I attended the annual Virginia Junior Science and Humanities Symposium at Longwood University.
As I scanned the presentation schedule, I noticed that most projects fell into popular categories such as biology, chemistry, environmental science, and computer science. Mine was the only presentation related to astrophysics and astronomy. That realization made me a bit nervous since I had no direct peers for comparison.
Fortunately, one of the three judges for my session was Dr. Gary L. Page, a member of the International Astronomical Union who was familiar with my research area. He asked several precise and challenging questions, and I was grateful that I could respond to his inquiries confidently.
After the lunch break, I took a walk around Longwood’s campus. The university is beautiful, with many recently renovated buildings that gave it both charm and modern appeal.
At 4:00 PM, all participants gathered at the Soza Ballroom in the Upchurch University Center for the awards ceremony. Once again, I felt nervous, but my biology teacher—who serves as the Academy of Loudoun’s sponsor for this event—reassured me that everything would be fine.
Around 4:25 PM, after winners were announced in the first five categories, my name was called as the winner in the Physics category.
All eight category winners were then invited to the stage, where the overall rankings were revealed. My name was announced second, as one of two runner-ups, followed by the third-place, the second-place and the first place announcement. As the 4th place winner, I was thrilled to learn that I would represent Virginia at the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in April!
Leave a Reply