Julia Yost, Armstrong Elementary School fifth-grader, competed in the Ford Fast Track Races held October 2016 at the Curtis Culwell Center with Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. She was picked by Ford to represent the council, along with three other Girl Scouts from councils across the country, to appear on the Today Show for the Ford STEAM experience.
Julia was surprised and excited that her car won the race on live television and she and the other three girls won $5,000 scholarships.
“I worked hard on my car building it and applying the science I learned,” Julia said. “It felt great winning and all of us earning scholarships.”
The fifth-grader said that it was great to be part of promoting girl’s involvement in STEAM and Girl Scouts. And she hopes that it inspired
other girl’s to try new things and not accept someone else’s limitations because they are a girl.
“We have freedom to do or be anything and reach for our dreams,” Julia said.
Danica Patrick, Ford spokesperson, appeared on the show with the Girl Scouts.
“It was fun and exciting meeting her,” Julia said. “We learned that she had been a Girl Scout and started racing when she was 10-years-old.”
She was a little nervous about being on television and all the people watching, but at the same time she was excited to have such a great opportunity. She also enjoyed visiting New York and her favorite part was the snow. She also liked Times Square and going to the Hershey Store.
About Ford Fast Track Races: For more than 30 years Ford has been inspiring young people to seek knowledge, be curious, solve problems and, like Henry Ford himself, make dreams of a better world come true. It is our mission to inspire the next generation of inventors, innovators and mobility makers. To that end, Ford has been at work over the past three decades creating vibrant, cutting-edge educational opportunities that change lives. Programs such as STEAM Academies and the Ford High School Science and Technology Program (HSSTP) engage thousands of students who go on to make a big impact in their STEAM careers.