This summer, Marcus A. Perkins, Jr. from McDonough will join outstanding elementary school students from across the state to take part in a unique academic and career-oriented development experience, the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF): Pathways to STEM, taking place in Atlanta.

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.

Marcus Jr. was nominated to attend the forum by his school counselor at Bethlehem Elementary. In addition to being a student in Talented and Gifted classes since kindergarten, and Accelerated Math, Marcus Jr. is interested in flag football (which fosters teamwork) and plays with the Georgia Elite Sports Academy of Henry County. He is extremely passionate about space, robotics, and all things STEM. As a recipient of the annual Bobcat Award for the past 5 years, he has also demonstrated good citizenship among his peers. While he excels in math and science, with dreams and aspirations of being an astronaut and going to Mars, Marcus Jr. is looking forward to gaining the hands-on experience that the forum provides.