Panel
Why Wait? Young People Blazing Trails
Milken InstituteWillow Bay, Adai Williams, Wynter Wanecki, Jack Andraka, Mary Patricia Hector, Flynn McGarry
- Winter Wanecki aims to expand prostate cancer awareness globally to reach "one in six men" by leveraging running and aerial skiing, with a goal to run marathons on all seven continents to set a record within approximately two years or upon reaching age 16 or 18, and to make the national aerial skiing team to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
- Winter Wanecki plans to complete the 560-kilometer ROPA Run relay from Germany to the Netherlands in June, travel to Canada to deliver six talks in six schools over three days, and intends to raise funds for "Think Twice" billboards and PSAs alongside gun violence awareness campaigns.
- Mary Patricia Hector expects her youth-led team to execute the "Think Twice" campaign across all 50 states, utilizing PSAs and billboards in Atlanta, Chicago, and New York to reach a captive audience and encourage adults to view youth as assets rather than liabilities.
- Jack Andraka anticipates filing patents for water quality technologies and launching a business to expand these innovations to developing nations soon, with current holdings of three patents and two pending, while also planning to attend the International Sustainable World Project Olympiad.
- Jack Andraka projects the development of a microfluid cassette detecting six environmental contaminants for one dollar in 20 minutes, a recycled plastic filter removing 95% of heavy metals and pesticides in five minutes for 70 cents, and paper-based diagnostic strips detecting 100 diseases or contaminants for the cost of printing the letter "A."
- Jack Andraka plans to partner with National Geographic and the Smithsonian to create a game incentivizing water quality measurements and interactive mapping, while also constructing a personal basement lab for experimentation and writing scientific grants.
- Flynn McGarry expects to open a designated restaurant in downtown Los Angeles after relocating his monthly pop-up "Eureka," with plans to hold a two-night New York pop-up in May and eventually establish a full restaurant career there.
- Flynn McGarry intends to travel to Europe and Asia to meet chefs, noting his natural talent for techniques like brunoise, and aims to balance creating artistic dishes with mass-production for 800 people while serving 40 people with 14 courses over a week at his pop-ups.
- Adai Williams expects to perform a solo debut with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic in Durban, South Africa, in two weeks and to continue international performances at venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, building on a history of 20 wins over seven years since his first competition at age eight.
- Adai Williams aims to dedicate his career to performing globally, having already soloed with the Chicago Sinfonietta at age six, and notes that while school breaks allow for up to eight hours of daily practice, travel commitments make 24/7 practice rare.
- Jack Andraka predicts that traditional schooling often fails to foster scientific creativity, leading students to merely "cram facts," and believes his "stubborn teenager" nature will help him persevere through rejections while maintaining a beginner's mindset to avoid the cynicism of expertise.
- Jack Andraka states that current pancreatic cancer detection methods cost $800 per test and miss 30% of cases, with 85% of cancers diagnosed late and a survival chance of less than 2%, affecting 100 people daily.
- Mary Patricia Hector believes the "Think Twice" campaign can motivate youth and adults to reconsider gun violence, emphasizing that young people listen more to peers and that mentors investing in youth leadership will validate the mission.
- Winter Wanecki acknowledges the difficulty of managing a hectic schedule of school, training, and speaking engagements, and expects that surrounding herself with supportive people is crucial while pushing off naysayers to avoid future regrets.
- Flynn McGarry expects that proving his culinary talent to chefs will result in long-term retainer opportunities or calls for assistance, as the industry often recognizes talent before age and allows young chefs to succeed through apprenticeship.
- Jack Andraka expects to be accepted into Curtis and Juilliard, planning to begin attending Curtis in the fall, while also stating that being an expert in a changing field is impossible as the goal is continuous learning rather than theoretical expertise accumulation.
- Winter Wanecki expects that the age barriers preventing her from running marathons will be removed once she reaches legal ages of 16 or 18, allowing her to pursue her world record attempt and global awareness goals.
- Adai Williams expects that his career will involve performing in major halls and across the country, citing past successes in Switzerland and anticipating future opportunities after his upcoming debut in Durban.
- Mary Patricia Hector expects that the internet will facilitate global communication for her campaign and that raising funds will allow her to place PSAs and billboards nationwide to reach a captive audience in specific cities.
- Jack Andraka expects that his water filtration technology can profit by reclaiming 90% of contaminants in boiling water and that the internet allows for the exchange of ideas regardless of location or identity.
- Winter Wanecki expects that "one in six men" are affected by prostate cancer, a rate higher than breast cancer in some contexts, yet it is rarely discussed, motivating her to use running as a driving force for awareness.
- Flynn McGarry expects that the culinary industry involves incredibly hard work and repetitive tasks, requiring a love for the result to endure hours of labor, while also aiming to bring his Los Angeles style to New York.
- Jack Andraka expects that his current lab detection methods are six years old and "grossly inaccurate" compared to his potential inventions, driving his motivation to innovate.
- Adai Williams notes that practicing up to eight hours a day is possible during school breaks, though he averages about four hours due to travel and school commitments, and expects to perform all over the country following his successes.
- Mary Patricia Hector expects that young volunteers will find it difficult to focus on the campaign due to their own commitments, but believes she can use her age to relate to other youth and motivate them effectively.
- Winter Wanecki expresses the view that regrets are harder to live with than failing to pursue dreams, and expects that telling someone it can be done will lead to quitting and lifelong regret.
- Flynn McGarry expects that he can create a "beautiful, artistic, thoughtful dish" but must also solve the logistical challenge of mass-producing it for large groups like 800 people.
- Jack Andraka expects that being an expert can be detrimental to continuous learning and that his "basic survival" motivation at age 10 led him to discover cooking as an art form.
- Adai Williams expects to perform with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic and anticipates performing in amazing halls like Carnegie, Kennedy Center, and the Chicago Symphony's Orchestra Hall.
- Jack Andraka expects to write scientific grants, requiring strong English writing skills, and plans to create a game with the Smithsonian to incentivize water quality measurements.
- Mary Patricia Hector expects that "10 will lead 90 of our generation" based on her blog post and believes the campaign can get PSAs and billboards on television to spread the message.
- Winter Wanecki expects that she can travel up to Canada to give six talks in six different schools within a three-day period to support her fundraising and awareness efforts.
- Flynn McGarry expects to start his career in New York after establishing his pop-ups there, keeping the monthly pop-up format once a month after moving to a designated space.
- Adai Williams expects to perform all over the country with about 50 different performances after his international debut and success in winning the Sphinx competition.
- Jack Andraka expects to detect tuberculosis or cancer with a print sensor for the cost of printing a letter, shifting healthcare power to the consumer.
- Mary Patricia Hector expects to finish raising funds to get PSAs and billboards on television to encourage people to "think twice before picking up a gun."
- Winter Wanecki expects to make the 2018 Winter Olympics by making the national team for aerial skiing, using this and running to raise awareness and funds.
- Flynn McGarry expects to bring what he does in Los Angeles to New York to reach more people who can taste the food, with the long-term goal of starting a full restaurant career.
- Adai Williams expects to perform internationally in the near future, having already soloed in Switzerland, and aims to perform in amazing halls like Carnegie and the Kennedy Center.
- Jack Andraka expects to create a game with National Geographic and the Smithsonian to incentivize water quality measurements and create an interactive map.
- Mary Patricia Hector expects to get PSAs and billboards all across the country to encourage people to "think twice."
- Winter Wanecki expects to travel up to Canada to give six different talks in six different schools in a three-day period.
- Flynn McGarry expects to start his career in New York after the pop-up events.
- Adai Williams expects to perform all over the country after his international debut.
- Jack Andraka expects to detect tuberculosis or cancer with a print sensor for the cost of printing a letter.
- Mary Patricia Hector expects to get PSAs and billboards by raising funds.
- Winter Wanecki expects to make the 2018 Winter Olympics by making the national team.
- Flynn McGarry expects to start his career in New York after the pop-ups.
- Adai Williams expects to perform all over the country with 50 different performances.
- Jack Andraka expects to create a game with the Smithsonian to create a water quality map.
- Mary Patricia Hector expects to get PSAs and billboards on television to spread the message.
- Winter Wanecki expects to make the national team for aerial skiing to achieve her Olympic goal.
- Flynn McGarry expects to start his career in New York after the pop-up events.
- Adai Williams expects to perform all over the country with 50 different performances.
- Jack Andraka expects to detect tuberculosis or cancer with a print sensor for the cost of printing a letter.
- Mary Patricia Hector expects to get PSAs and billboards by raising funds.
- Winter Wanecki expects to make the 2018 Winter Olympics by making the national team.
- Flynn McGarry expects to start his career in New York after the pop-ups.
- Adai Williams expects to perform