ROSEMONT –– In front of a packed audience at Donald Stephens Convention Center, Concept Schools’s Idil Hassan had a simple message for the group.
“Let your imagination soar, your creativity flourish, and your passion ignite.”
The hundreds of students in attendance more than lived up to those words throughout the 21st annual Concept Schools Science and Engineering Fair. In a day full of friendly competition, the bounds of science were tested by some of the brightest young minds in the nation.
Over 400 students came prepared to participate in events like the Math Olympics, RoboCON and the STEM Exposition. From Minnesota to Florida, middle and high school students showed off their projects they have been working on for months.
“CONSEF is a really great way to learn new stuff,” said seventh grader Sophia Mateos. “It’s fun and you learn new stuff and you get to learn stuff you like! I definitely will come back next year.”
In its 25th year as an organization, Concept looks forward to bringing more young people together in the future to share their passion for STEM.
“Concept would like to make sure to give back,” Concept Schools’s CEO Sedat Duman said, “Not just to the communities that we serve but beyond them (as well). We want to put Concept on the map so people can come in and take advantage of these kinds of competitions and organizations for their kids to get recognized.
“We want them to develop a confidence in themselves which is important for them to have a vision and fulfill it.”
For more information about CONSEF, visit its website here.