This summer, Natali Sommer from Rush Hill will join outstanding elementary school students from across the state to take part in a unique academic and career-oriented development experience, the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF): Pathways to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), taking place at Trinity International University of Chicago, Ill.

Sommer, 10, just completed the fourth grade at Community R-6 Schools.

“I came home one day from school and there was mail for me,” she says.

That mail was the nomination letter. In recent weeks, Sommer has been busy writing an essay as part of the program requirements. After some research, she selected Patricia Goldman-Rakic as her topic. Rakic was an American professor of neuroscience, neurology, psychiatry and psychology at Yale University School of Medicine. She pioneered multidisciplinary research of the prefrontal cortex and working memory.

“I thought she was very inspiring,” said Sommer.

A straight-A student, Sommer says she enjoys attending R-6.

“Everyone knows each other,” she said. “Everyone’s really nice. They have great styles of teaching.”

Already planning out her professional career, Sommer would like to become a cardiologist someday. She’s scanning colleges and plans to attend Truman State, Kirksville and then head to Baylor University in Waco, Texas, to attend their college of medicine. She’s quick to point out there’s a Dr. Pepper plant in Waco - where the soft drink was first manufactured.

During the forum, she will have the opportunity to practice medical techniques during a realistic simulation, called “When Care is Hours Away.”

“Natali is a hard working, innovative thinker,” said Jessie Mommens, R-6 math teacher and soon-to-be R-6’s elementary principal.

Mommens nominated Sommer for NYLF, with input from R-6 staffers, including Sommer’s teacher, Trenton Pummill.

“She is always willing to take a task or assignment and figure it out, working hard through it all,” said Mommens. “She is a perfect fit to experience this STEM opportunity and I know she will enjoy each minute of it.”

In her spare time, Sommer enjoys woodworking - she’s currently building a wood collage with scrap pieces of lumber, using cast-offs from her grandfather’s shop. That hobby is well-suited for her, as her grandfather is Chuck Sommer, manager of the Mexico La Crosse lumberyard. She also enjoys playing piano, writing, reading - especially the works of J.K. Rowling - and she plays softball for the Martinsburg La Crosse team (they’ve had their share of rainouts this season).

“Natali was selected because Ms. Mommens recognizes her as a student who already demonstrates exceptional maturity,” said Jan A. Sikorsky, Ph.D., Envision’s vice president of education..

NYLF Pathways to STEM is one of the Envision by WorldStrides family of programs that enable students to explore their interests and experience learning beyond the classroom.

For over 35 years, Envision by WorldStrides has empowered extraordinary students to become their best selves through programs that enable them to discover their passion, explore a career, and positively impact their world. In 2018, Envision became part of the WorldStrides family. The largest provider of educational travel and experiences in the United States, WorldStrides works with over 50,000 educators each year to help more than 550,000 students see the world - and themselves - in new ways.