Kamehameha-Hawaii student among 24 youths accepted to elite MIT program

As Hilo resident Ciana-Lei Bence heads to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as one of only 24 outstanding high school students chosen this summer for an exclusive radar-building workshop, she says she is excited to not only soak up the rare educational opportunity but also to help further the progress of women and Native Hawaiians in the fields of math and science.

The Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i senior, 17, was selected from among more than 400 top students nationwide who applied for the Lincoln Laboratory Radar Introduction for Student Engineers program.

Bence says she has been fascinated by science since she was a small child, but “growing up here, there wasn’t really any Native Hawaiian representation, especially women in STEM,” referring to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “It’s hard as a child to see yourself as a scientist, an engineer, a mathematician, something big in the world, when you don’t see anyone familiar” in those fields.

Bence said she aspires to attend college at MIT, study either astrophysics or molecular engineering, and help pave the way for more women and Hawaiians in math and science fields.

“I feel like showing kids it’s possible and cool, something that’s attainable, that would really help to create more children in STEM,” she said. “That’s what powers our world.”

Bence was chosen “because of her academic achievements, outstanding recommendations and her aspiration to study astrophysics,” said Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter, K-12 STEM Outreach Manager for MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

She is the fifth student from Hawaii accepted into the elite program, and all five have been at least part Native Hawaiian, Agbasi- Porter said. The program is open to all, but underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

In the project-based enrichment program for outstanding students, which starts Wednesday and runs through July 17, participants will study and dorm on the MIT campus in Cambridge, be taught to build a Doppler and range radar, work with scientists and engineers, and also spend time at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory a few miles away, in Lexington.

The MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security, its online properties say.

Students “will also hone in on their soft skills, like how to give a technical presentation, resume and interviewing skills, and a session on mental health,” along with technical seminars and career panel discussions, Agbasi-Porter said. At the end, all students give a final presentation on what they learned during the program.

While the program is free, participants have to cover transportation. Bence’s mom, Charmelei, estimates that between a GoFundMe account and donations directly from friends and family, they are about 70% to their goal to raise $5,000.

Charmelei Bence said she and her family are grateful for the support and hope people will see the value of investing in her daughter’s participation. “It’s a really cool, amazing thing that a Hawaii girl got into this program,” she said.