Young Maker makes it to MIT

[HLA-27b]

This kid is from Sierra Leone. Luckily he happens to speak English so MIT invites him. I dread to think what happens to kids who don't.



The moral of the story is that most of the talented and enthusiastic kids never get noticed. If you have been through the mill like me you'd know that a little help given early goes a long way.

[saturation]

Smart kids will always find a way to excel, legal or not.  I know a lot of similar kids in countries were electronics was fairly rare and expensive, back in the 1970s, because it was worth a lot to repair, build and adapt rather than buy pre-made.  Top schools often sponsor disadvantaged students in the hope they'll return to their native country to help build their infrastructure.  Alas, if he's not patriotic, and most tend not to be [ what do I owe my home country that treats me like dirt, while I'm appreciated in the USA or EU?] he may not want to return to SL, and miss the cutting edge of his field of interest.

[JonnyBoats]

This is a great story - hopefully this kid will get a good education and go far. Make you wish more kids in 1st world countries would show such initiative.

>Luckily he happens to speak English so MIT invites him. I dread to think what happens to kids who don't.

Actually I thought his English was far better than many of the EE graduate students at American universities who are teaching assistants for undergraduate courses. The poor American students can't understand half of what is said in class ;-)

[poptones]

I want to know more about this generator. It's a cardboard box with a spark plug and at one point you see him pull a screen and it starts humming. What's that about? Some sort of little engine?