Linden High School junior Ariana Eastwood has been selected to participate in the 2017-18 class of the Governor’s STEM Scholars program.
The prestigious program’s goal is to educate the state’s best and brightest students about science, technology, engineering and math opportunities within New Jersey. “It means a lot to me,” Eastwood said. “When they called me I was really excited.”
The program will allow Eastwood to join with students from around New Jersey in completing a STEM research project, and will offer internship opportunities, field trips and conferences.
“Our advisory council went through over 600 applications and only chose 85 students using very rigorous criteria, including character, leadership ability, and STEM aptitude,” program director David Hodges wrote in Eastwood’s acceptance letter. “You are joining a highly motivated class of students from all over New Jersey who share your enthusiasm for STEM.”
Eastwood intends to make the most of her opportunity. “I’m interested in STEM, but I don’t know what I really want to do,” she said. “So being in this program is going to help me. And I get to be surrounded by a lot of smart, intelligent students and I can learn a lot from them. … And I can ask questions because it’s not just high school students, it’s college students, too.”
The program begins with an opening conference on Sept. 23 at Rutgers University in Piscataway.
Eastwood credits the Linden Public Schools for her success. “Linden helped me,” Eastwood said. “Everybody’s been helping me as I grew up in Linden. That means a lot to me. I’m representing Linden. I’m grateful for accomplishing it, but it wasn’t just me. I’ve gotten a lot of help.”
(above) Linden High School junior Ariana Eastwood has been selected to participate in
the 2017-18 class of the Governor’s STEM
Scholars program.
