Tucson Middle Schooler Wins Junior Innovator Challenge

TUCSON, AZ — As shelter in place orders and social distancing continue across most of the United States, several take-your-kid-to-work occasions have been canceled. But, that hasn't stopped Virginia-based Leidos from teaching its employees' children about innovation.

The Fortune 500 company recently rolled out its “Imagination to Innovation: Junior Innovator Challenge” that encourages its employees' kids to learn about their parents' work and stay engaged while learning from home.

In a news release, the company said its challenge aims to engage children in STEM learning in a series of weekly contests. Each week, it announces five finalists and a grand winner, each of whom receives prize.

Week one winner was Sadie Borgogna, a 6th grade student at Desert Sky Middle School in Tucson. In her winning submission, Sadie wrote about her mom's dedication and commitment to success.

In week one, Sadie was tasked with interviewing her mother, Stephanie Moreno, and writing a brief story about her when she was Sadie's age.

"She went through difficult times, especially losing her mom; but she overcame those struggles by staying positive and working harder," Sadie wrote, in part. "My mom has always had a great work ethic, and demonstrates how hard work pays of."

Sadie learned one more thing about her mom, she said.

"The most surprising thing Sadie learned was that I love Math," Stephanie said. "She didn’t think anyone actually could love to do Math."

As Week One winner, Sadie took home an Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition.

Weekly activities for junior innovators are available online. Participating children are currently on completing their choice of science experiment during week four.