stephens_gabeDear Contributor,

Congratulations! Your generous investment has paid off some dramatic dividends. The going rate of hosting a delegate at the National Youth Science Camp runs roughly 5000 dollars, as the oft-repeated figure goes. However, I got an experience that ended up solidifying my commitment to science and inspiring me to not be afraid to seek innovations that could change lives. In addition to this shift in attitudes, I was also outfitted with some heavy scientific and ethical knowledge that will aid me in actually working on said innovations. The dollar amount of these changes is potentially infinite, depending on the enduring successes of our delegates. Infinity. That’s quite a return.

I am not an isolated case. Out of 117 delegates, about 117 of them were affected in similar ways on differing levels of magnitude. However, the effects of this camp average out to be a huge step forward in preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers for the problems we don’t even know exist yet. And for that huge step forward, I thank you deeply and I thank you sincerely.

Gabriel Stephens, IN 2011