Press Release, Indiana Department of Education:

Governor Eric J. Holcomb, Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jenner and Treasurer Daniel Elliott welcomed the four members of the 2024 Governor’s STEM Team to the Indiana Statehouse, where they honored outstanding high school students for their exceptional efforts in science, technology, engineering and math.

“Each year, I am blown away by the incredible accomplishments of our Hoosier students selected for the STEM Team,” said Gov. Holcomb. “It is inspiring to see what they are able to achieve at such a young age, and I’m excited to watch them continue to grow into our state’s future leaders in STEM.”

In addition to being selected as a member of the Governor’s STEM Team, each student is awarded a $1,000 scholarship deposited into an Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings plan, administered by the Treasurer of State, and a letterman jacket identifying them as members of the Governor’s STEM Team.

“Meeting with these impressive students is a powerful reminder of the impact of our K-12 schools and educators in preparing students with the knowledge, skills and work ethic that they need for future success,” said Dr. Jenner. “The accolades that these students have earned and the experiences they have had the chance to be a part of will undoubtedly benefit them throughout their life. I applaud these students for their successes thus far and can’t wait to see all that they achieve.”

The members of the 2024 Governor’s STEM Team are:

Science: Grace Choi, Bloomington High School South, Bloomington
Grace, a senior at Bloomington High School South, is a passionate STEM enthusiast who achieved a perfect 800 on her Math SAT and earned high scores on multiple AP exams. She has earned multiple honors and scholarships from national STEM contests and has completed internships at Indiana University and MIT while in high school. With a future focused on biochemistry and data science, Grace aspires to blend her love for research with academia through an MD/PhD program.

Technology: Alexandra Yang, Carmel High School, Carmel
Alexandra, a senior at Carmel High School, shines brightly in the realm of STEM. With a perfect Math SAT score and near perfect SAT composite score, she has conquered AP courses and has received accolades from national competitions like USA Computing Olympiad and AFA CyberPatriot. She has served as an intern at the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute and contributor to Harvard’s Visual Attention Lab. As the first youth representative to be inducted into the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) Executive Board of Directors, Alexandra hopes to continue to open doors of opportunity for women and girls to participate in STEM.

Engineering: Tolen Schreid, Signature School Inc., Evansville
Tolen is a senior at Signature School, where he has earned various accolades and achievements during his academic career. Tolen earned perfect scores on the ACT Science and Math Exams, has taken several AP and International Baccalaureate STEM courses and earned college credit through numerous additional dual credit opportunities. Tolen’s interest in space exploration has been a large part of his passion for STEM from a very young age, inspiring him to participate in Nextech’s Catapult Evansville Portfolio Competition, the Rose-Hulman High School Mathematics Competition and the 2023 Congressional App Challenge. He plans to pursue a major in Aerospace Engineering in college and hopes to work at NASA.

Mathematics: Brady Exoo, South Vigo High School, Terre Haute
Brady is a senior at South Vigo High School in Terre Haute who has also achieved high levels of success in dual credit and other AP classes, including Physics at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Brady has participated in several national contests, including the American Invitational Mathematics Examination, the American Regions Mathematics League, the Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science, First Robotics Competition and the National Science Bowl, earning notable awards in each. His own research and experiences have led to an appreciation for mathematical complexities, and Brady plans to carry that passion into a career as a physics researcher.

Congratulations to the following students who also received honorable mention designations for their excellence in STEM:

  • Science Honorable Mention: Grace Huang of Columbus North High School in Columbus
  • Science Honorable Mention: Erin Lee Kong of Carmel High School in Carmel
  • Technology Honorable Mention: Xavier Frank of Washington High School in Washington
  • Engineering Honorable Mention: Trent Brown of Hobart High School in Hobart
  • Mathematics Honorable Mention: Adelyn Wyndham of Avon High School in Avon