From Maryland Champs to National Standouts: Hallie Wells Team Shines at National MESA Competition
From placing first in states to earning second in the nation, the Hallie Wells Middle School Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) team has a lot to celebrate.
MESA USA is a national organization that works to expand access to STEM education for students across the country. Founded in 1970, MESA engages students through hands-on learning, academic competitions, mentoring and support as they pursue STEM pathways from middle school through college. Its success is built on strong partnerships with schools, colleges, universities and industry leaders.
For Hallie Wells, the journey to nationals began earlier this year. The team—eighth graders Ashrit Mandava, Sameer Singh, Rian Ganesh and Summit Lu, along with their teacher Dustin Deem—won first place for their National Engineering Design Competition (NEDC) Challenge at the Regional MESA competition.
From there, they joined nine other MCPS teams at the MESA State competition and were selected to represent Maryland at the MESA NEDC National Competition in San Diego on June 23.
The national competition brought together standout student teams from 10 states, selected from a pool of more than 42,000 participants nationwide.
Their project, “Flick,” is an innovative, AI-powered math learning cube that helps students focus and succeed in math through interactive, personalized support. At the national competition, they received high marks in all categories:
- Academic Poster: 1st Place
- Symposium (Oral Presentation): 2nd Place
- Design Proposal: 2nd Place
- Technical Pitch: 3rd Place
Overall, Hallie Wells finished second in the nation.
Adding to their accolades, the team received the Delegate’s Choice Award, voted on by all participating middle and high school competitors.
“Out of all the amazing projects nationwide, our team was chosen by their peers as the favorite,” said Deem. “It’s a true testament to the impact and innovation of their work.”
