In the future, Rozalyn Beal plans to spend a lot of time in the ocean and the sea creatures below. Her favorite is the sea turtle.
“Ever since I was little, I always had a passion for animals,” Beal said while talking about her goals to become a marine biologist. “I knew I always wanted to go into a field dealing with animals and the ocean is my favorite place.”
She recently joined a group of students with dreams of success in the Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) field. Beal, a sophomore at Midway High School (MHS), represented North Carolina and the school when she traveled to Boston area for The Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders. She recently received an Award of Excellence from the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists for participating in the national conference.
“I was really proud and my mom cried,” Beal said about the moment.
The certificate she received states that the award was bestowed on her for academic performance, leadership potential and dedication to serving humanity through STEM.
During the summer, Beal flew on an airplane for the first time and was accompanied by her mother, Shelly Beal. Many delegates from the United States attended the event, which featured multiple guest speakers from various professions. Beal said they provided a lot of inspiration for youths involved in STEM.
“It was amazing and such a great experience overall,” Beal said.
Science has always been her favorite subject and enjoys STEM.
“With the world changing, hopefully more people will get into STEM because that’s the future,” she said.
The honors students is currently the co-captain of the MHS Color Guard and has been involved in band since the sixth grade. She recently joined the school’s drama club. After graduating from MHS, Beal plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to begin her path towards becoming a marine biologist.
MHS Principal said Beal is hard working student who excels in many areas at the school.
“She is always eager to learn and she has a great attitude and passion for learning.” Strickland said. “I am glad that she got the opportunity to experience this learning with students from across the nation. We look for big things from her in the future and will support her in any way possible.”
