SOUTH MILWAUKEE, WI – Today, State Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) attended a student STEM showcase at South Milwaukee Middle School. The young innovators and their STEM teacher, Isabel Mendiola, demonstrated their projects for classmates, teachers, and parents in a culmination of months of extra-curricular work.
Nikayla Washington, a 7th grader in the group, was one of 55 students selected nationally, and one of two from Wisconsin, to earn the title of National STEM Champion for her project at SMMS. She wrote code and built a way to test Lake Michigan water for aquatic conditions
conducive to invasive Zebra Mussels. She will travel to Washington, D.C. to present her work at the annual National STEM Festival in front of national research leaders.
Representative Sinicki presented a Legislative Citation to Washington congratulating her for this impressive achievement. Following the presentation, Representative Sinicki made the following statement:
“I want to congratulate Nikayla, her teacher Ms. Mendiola, and South Milwaukee Middle School on this impressive accomplishment. In just the 7th grade Nikayla identified a real environmental challenge in our own backyard and used science and technology to find a way to investigate it. That kind of curiosity and drive is remarkable at any age, and I have no doubt that when Nikayla presents her work in Washington, D.C., she will represent her school and Wisconsin wonderfully. I look forward to watching all she accomplishes next.”
