LA High School Student Seeks Social Media Votes for $250,000 College Scholarship

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Notre Dame Academy student Noelle Nelson '24 is a semifinalist in a worldwide competition to receive a $250,000 college scholarship. Through the submission of a two-minute video explaining a "big scientific idea," Nelson is among 30 international semifinalists in the 2023 Breakthrough Junior Challenge Scholarship competition, and she seeks the public's help to vote for her submission.

Epigenetics is the topic of Nelson's big scientific idea and the public can vote for her submission by way of liking or positive reactions (Love, Haha, Wow) on the Breakthrough Junior Challenge Facebook post of her film submission and through likes on her YouTube video submission. The Breakthrough Junior Challenge Scholarship semifinalist who receives the most likes on Facebook and YouTube from September 5-20, automatically advances to the finals. There is only one vote per platform and a total of two votes per person.

If Nelson were to win the competition, in addition to receiving a quarter of a million dollars towards college tuition, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge would also award the teacher nominee, NDA's Chemistry teacher Mr. Michael Fane, $50,000 and Notre Dame Academy would receive a $100,000 state of the art Breakthrough science lab.

Out of 30 semifinalist students internationally, from an applicant pool in the thousands, Nelson's Life Sciences big scientific idea film also features a brief cameo from her younger sister, Notre Dame Academy freshman, Natalia Nelson '27. "Winning this scholarship would be very impactful for pursuing a medical career as a pediatrician, which is my ultimate goal. I also want to be an advocate for young people like me who have endured food allergy challenges and other medical conditions," shares Noelle Nelson.

"This is an incredible opportunity for a talented student like Noelle who has a bright future in science," shares Ms. Lilliam Paetzold, Head of School. "At Notre Dame Academy, experiential learning is at the heart of our offering. Through STEM, our students, like Noelle, blend in-class learning with real-world projects that ignite curiosity, critical thinking and problem solving. We are so proud of Noelle for taking on the Breakthrough Junior Challenge. Receiving $100,000 towards a new NDA laboratory would continue this culture of design thinking for our future students and families."

Founded by Julia and Yuri Milner as part of their Giving Pledge to support science and the communication of scientific ideas, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge is an annual global competition for students to inspire creative thinking about science.

Located at 2851 Overland Ave. in Los Angeles, Notre Dame Academy is a school where young women are empowered to rise with purpose. Founded in 1949, NDA is rooted in Catholic values and embraces the unique gifts of each student, tailoring curriculum to ignite students' passions, build character and deepen their faith. With personalized learning at the heart of this all girls academy, NDA empowers students to grow academically, spiritually and socially, equipping future leaders to make an impact in tomorrow's world. Discover more: academy.ndasla.org

SOURCE Notre Dame Academy