This summer, Dean Hassan-Ortegon from Hamden, son of former resident Catherine Ortegon, will join elementary school students from across the state and country to take part in a academic and career-oriented development experience, the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF): Pathways to STEM, taking place this summer in Boston, MA.
National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF): Pathways to STEM is one of the Envision by WorldStrides family of programs (www.envisionexperience.com) that enable students to explore their interests and experience learning beyond the classroom. Dean will be exploring careers in Medicine, discover how to program a robot, learn about detective work and crime scene investigation to solve a case and all aspects related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Hassan-Ortegon was nominated to attend the program by the school principal, Todd Solli within Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School due to his scholastic merits, exceptional maturity, and leadership skills at his young age. Dean excels academically and exceeds expectations and requirements within his 5th grade level. Dean participated in the International Summer of STEM program where he studied robotics in 2022. In addition, he has participated in the Quinnipiac University youth theatre program as well as performing in the Nutcracker for the local Joan Lynn Dance Company. Dean enjoys playing local sports, playing the violin, and studying all aspects of STEM. Dean loves to read and write and was also a candidate within the 2021 U.S. Senate Essay Contest. He is looking forward to the hands-on experience in workshops, which he will delve into this summer to assist him with his overall growth, communication, critical thinking, and leadership skills.