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Two Alachua County Public School students have been named Sunshine State Scholars, placing them among Florida's top STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) high school juniors
Navya Goyal of Gainesville High School and Amy Xiao of Buchholz High School were selected based on their extensive academic and extra-curricular resumes and essays they wrote about the nation’s STEM-related challenges and what they would do to address those challenges.
Goyal is enrolled in the rigorous Cambridge Program at GHS, and her success in the program has already earned her seven college credits. She is a member of the Psi Alpha Honor Society and leads the school’s STEM Club. Goyal has earned recognition since elementary school in math, science and business competitions, including a first-place award at the regional Brain Bee Championship that earned her a chance to compete at the national level. She has volunteered as a tutor in math, reading and biology and worked as a research intern at a local chemical engineering firm. She’s also contributed more than 350 hours to the North Florida Sewing Center, providing resources for the homeless and other populations.
In her essay, Goyal addressed the problem of misinformation about STEM-related subjects, particularly health-related issues. She’s interested in developing the ability of AI to help people identify false and unsupported content and provide them with accurate information. She also wants to help her peers become more media-literate.
“While there are many potential solutions to the spread of misinformation, I believe the best solution would be to target both ends of the spectrum—new generations and the influencers that shape the worldview on a daily basis,” she wrote in her essay.
Xiao is also taking a full load of high-level courses and currently maintains a weighted grade point average above 4.8. She’s been part of Buchholz’ national championship math team, the Science Team, HOSA-Future Health Professionals, and has won several national, state and regional awards with those organizations. She’s also a key member of the highly-successful Marching and Symphonic Bands and the Buchholz Wind Symphony and is part of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. Xiao also finds time to tutor at a local center and work as a research intern in a lab at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
Xiao’s essay focused on American students’ poor performance in math and science, leading to a gap between the rapid pace of technological advances and the shortage of young people qualified to work in STEM fields. She says she’s been able to help students she’s tutored master concepts through interactive instruction.
“America’s greatest STEM challenge is to improve math and science education and close the gap by preparing students with necessary skills in STEM areas,” she wrote. “By mentoring younger students and continuing to build my own STEM abilities, I believe I can make a meaningful contribution toward resolving the challenge.”
Both Goyal and Xiao will be attending a two-day program in Orlando in early March, where they will have the opportunity to network with STEM employers and college/university representatives from throughout the state and attend workshops on college applications and funding.
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