And
this is a difficult time for our country, and it would be easy to grow cynical and wonder if America’s best days are behind us –- especially at a time of economic hardship, and when so many people, from Wall Street to Washington, seem to have failed to take responsibility for moving this country forward for so long. But when you have a chance to talk to these young people that I had a chance to meet with, these incredibly bright and creative young men and women, it can’t help but leave you optimistic about our future.
They remind us that this country was not built on greed; it wasn’t build on reckless risks; it wasn’t build on short-term thinking; it wasn’t built on shortsighted policies. It was forged of stronger stuff, by bold men and women who dared to invent something new, or improve something old; who took chances; who crafted and built and who tested our assumptions, and who believed that in America all things are possible.
We can think of Einstein, Edison, Franklin, Tesla, and the founders of Google and Apple and Microsoft. But now we’ve got some other people to think about -- like Mikayla Nelson, who’s here today. Where’s Mikayla? Is she here? There she is, right there. (Applause.) Mikayla -- I had a chance to -- Mikayla is from Billings, Montana. She works with an entire team -- I"m sorry to embarrass you here, Mikayla. (Laughter.) She’s like, “Oh, God, he called on me.” (Laughter.)
She’s representing Will James Middle School. She and her classmates built a solar-powered car that won the design award in the National Science Bowl. She’s in 9th grade. She’s already trying to earn a pilot’s license, and she’s working on building an actual plane. She wants to be an engineer. There’s no doubt we can expect great things from her.
We can think of Diego Vazquez and Antonio Hernandez, representing Cesar Chavez High School in Phoenix. Where are those guys? I met them earlier. There they are, right there. (Applause.) They developed a new motorized chair to help a classmate with disabilities -– and won a grant competition as a result. They did not have a lot of money to do this. They didn’t have a lot of advantages in life. In fact, the first time they were ever on an airplane was when they flew to present their invention. But they did have a desire to work together to help a friend and to build something that never existed before.
And by the way, the way they funded their project -- they had -- they and their folks made tamales（玉米粉蒸肉） . They had a huge tamale-making session and were selling them. And they were showing me the video of how they raised the funds to be able to enter in this competition. Unbelievable.
That’s not just the power of science. That’s the promise of America. Anybody with a good idea can prosper. Anybody with talent can succeed. That’s why we’re here today. That’s what we’re all celebrating. And that’s why it’s so important that we promote math education and science education, on behalf of not just this generation but all the generations to follow.
So, to all the young people who are here, I could not be prouder of you. I expect some of you to be back here as Nobel Prize winners and whatnot（古董架，不可名状的东西） . In the mean time, just keep on doing what you’re doing.
And to the parents and the teachers who have helped to inspire these young people, thank you. What you’re doing is paying huge dividends（股息，红利） not just for the young people themselves but for the country. We’re very proud of you.
Thank you, everybody.
