In 2013, Elise Webber designed a Disaster Preparedness app to win Caring for the Kenai. Now, Elise is studying molecular and cellular biology at Illinois State University. She says CFK helped balance her education…
“A typical high school stereotype that stays strong even in college is that those who succeed in STEM fields are lacking in communication skills. CFK helps to foster those skills by pushing traditionally math and science minded kids out of their comfort zone with good incentive.
As someone who went on out of high school to pursue a degree in molecular and cellular biology at Illinois State University, CFK helped me learn how to stick my neck out there and advance my career outside of the classroom.
My first goal when coming to college was to immediately get involved with professors and research projects, and because of my communication skills gained from both winning CFK in my freshman year of high school and placing in it in my senior year, I was able to secure a spot in a research laboratory where I need to both write proposals and present my findings to the public while on my way to being published.
Had I not been pushed out of my comfort zone to participate in CFK, tasks such as contacting professors and working on personal projects would have been much harder to get into. I would encourage any student (STEM or not) to get involved in CFK. It’s a learning experience just as much as it is a competition and its effects are far reaching even into your professional career. The people who will work with you will help you succeed and mature as an intellectual and as a communicator, and hey, a little bit of extra cash from a little extra hard work never hurt anyone, either.”