On March 11, I was invited to an Ignite 4-H tournament, a STEM event hosted in Washington, D.C. Ignite is a national summit for high schoolers hosted by 4-H, designed to inspire teens from around the world to explore their passions and improve their STEM skills. 4‑H. STEM programs equip young people with the skills they need to succeed in life and are available through local clubs, schools, and grant-funded programs. Focus areas include computer science, robotics, aerospace, physics, chemistry, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and veterinary science. 

My soccer team and I were recognized for our dedication, and we won a tournament that earned my team a place in the 4-H tournament, so eleven of us got on a bus Wednesday morning. I was expecting a huge event, but it turned out to be even bigger than I could imagine. In the conference center of the Marriott Marquis, at least a thousand people from all over the world got together to learn about opportunities for young people. We split into groups to discover the different activities they offered at Ignite. In the engineering room, we learned the basics of engineering, they used the 3-D printer, and we got to see a demonstration of a robotic pet. For robotics, we built a small robotic dog that moved around, and we got to design a small Lego car that was driven by joysticks. When entrepreneurship was right around the corner, another group of people and I came up and gave a speech on how the Ignite 4-H would impact and improve our lives and the future. 

There are multiple opportunities, but the Ignite by 4-H changed how I see the world today. This changed my view of knowing how to engineer and helped me out with my grades. I would recommend this event for everyone who is looking for greater opportunities inside the U.S.