Princeton Student Attends Paris Olympics As STEM Ambassador

PRINCETON, NJ - A Princeton High School student visited Paris and attended the Olympics as part of a STEM contest winner.

Ngan Le was on the Princeton High School winning team for the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2021-2022 competition. She was invited to attend the Paris Games by Samsung, an olympic sponsor.

Together with a handful of young people from around the globe who were part of Samsung's annual Solve for Tomorrow (SFT) STEM competitions, Ngan attended a launch event hosted by Samsung and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 31.

The students were announced as ambassadors of “Together for Tomorrow, Enabling People” – a new digital community initiative.

The digital community initiative was designed to help young people around the world to get involved in the Olympic Movement, based on programs aimed at building a better future through technology.

“I am deeply grateful to be selected as one of 10 students globally to become an ambassador and attend the Olympics. This unforgettable experience has been a great honor and one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” Le told Patch.

In Paris, Le has the opportunity to meet industry leaders and pitch her ideas to them.

“The “Together for Tomorrow: Enabling People” Launch event is fundamentally a celebration of the collaboration between Samsung, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to empower youth social innovation at the intersection of sports and technology,” Le said.

“At the event, I had the honor of being one of two ‘Together for Tomorrow: Enabling People” Ambassadors selected to present Samsung Solve for Tomorrow and our team’s (from Princeton High School) project — the Bug-A-Low Bioreactor and its extensively branched community impact through the Sol Feliz soap business and beyond. It was truly life-changing to share this moment with an inspiring and supportive audience.”

At the event, Le met many young people from across the globe. "I was elated to pitch to industry leaders from Deloitte, IOC, and Samsung for future considerations and business advice. Additionally, I connected with the wonderful IOC Young Leaders like Berber Stewart, who I greatly enjoyed exchanging ideas with in pursuit of collaboration,” Le said.

Despite the busy schedule, Le also has time to watch the games and cheer for Team USA.

"I had the chance to watch and meet Olympians as well. Hailing from countries like the US, Canada, France, South Korea, and more among a grand variety of sports, I was ecstatic to meet several of the athletes we see on screen. Proudly cheering for Team USA as 1 of 2 Ambassadors from the United States, I bonded with my passionate ambassador colleagues as we watched an Olympic swimming event,” Le said.

Le also visited several iconic landmarks in Paris and saw the city for the first time.

"Throughout this trip, I visited numerous iconic landmarks that I observed from those bright windows, such as the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Arc de Triomphe, and Pantheon with my peers. One place I particularly loved was outside of Paris — the Palace of Versailles,” Le said.

She also developed an appreciation for French cuisine.

"I gained a newfound appreciation for the versatility of potatoes and meat like creamy au gratin potatoes or steak tartare. After interacting with locals, the most memorable food experiences were easily found in a boulangerie (French bakery) and patisserie, which had astoundingly delicious items at a reasonable cost,” Le said. "There was no better way to end this trip than with a final flaky croissant with my parents.”

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