Students From Baltimore Leadership School For Young Women Advance To Semi-Finals In National Science Competition
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A group of seventh-graders from the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women are semi-finalists in a national science competition.
Seven seventh-graders from the school earned $15,000 in Samsung's "Solve For Tomorrow" competition.
The contest asks students to tackle an issue in their community. That's when Derielle Barrow spoke up.
"I have had multiple asthma attacks, I have been hospitalized," Barrow said.
The students decided to focus on asthma, creating an asthma kit for kids, knowing Baltimore has one of the highest pediatric asthma hospitalization rates in the country.
"It's hard for us because we can't get the education we need when we're in the hospital and we're always sick," Barrow said.
Inside the kit? A low-cost portable air quality monitor and an inhaler concealed inside a scrunchie.
"We would have a band inside where you can press the button and it will allow the mist to come out," Kamora Mitchell said.
"We can take things that already exist and make them work better for people," Camila Reyes said.
The students will present their kit in the next round of competitions in March. Of course, they hope to win but say if they don't, that's okay, too.
"I'm going to feel like we all won anyway," Barrow said.
"I would help change people's lives every day with my product, with our product," Mitchell said.