DeSoto City Council Recognizes Youngest NASA Intern and Prodigy
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12 Year Old Prodigy Alena Wicker Recognized By City Council
DESOTO – Due to COVID protocols, it was a virtual handshake on Tuesday evening with DeSoto City Council, from a 12-year-old prodigy who will reportedly be the youngest intern ever in NASA intern program.
After all, she’s ready for an internship since at the ripe old age of 12 she just graduated high school this last weekend.
At the DeSoto City Council virtual meeting Tuesday night council “met” north Texas resident Alena Wicker as she gave them all a virtual handshake hello.
12-year-old prodigy, NASA intern receives commendation from DeSoto mayor
Alena Wicker is aiming to work for NASA after the completion of her studies.
12-year-old Alena Wicker stopped by DeSoto City Hall last week to give Mayor Rachel Proctor her Brown Stem Girl sweatshirt.(City of DeSoto)
Alena Wicker is a 12-year-old prodigy who will will intern at NASA this summer before she enrolls in Arizona State University.
But first, she tuned into a DeSoto City Council meeting to receive a commendation from Mayor Rachel Proctor, along with praise from council members.
While Alena is from Cedar Hill, she and Proctor have a growing relationship as mentor and mentee. The commendation congratulated Alena for being “the youngest African American as well as the youngest person in history to be granted an internship for NASA.”
When Alena Wicker realized the racial and gender gaps in employment in the STEM fields, she went to work. The Texas 12-year-old told her mother, "I want to create this culture.
A 12-year-old from Arizona is well on her way to achieving her big dream of becoming a NASA engineer.
At an age when most kids are advancing through middle school, Alena Wicker has graduated high school and been accepted to attend college at Arizona State University.
She told KXXV, “I just had a goal I wanted to get to.”
The prodigy completed her high school courses at home and aced the classes.
Wicker’s mom, Daphne McQuarter, said her daughter has had her sights set on outer space since before kindergarten.
“At 4 years old she said I’m going to work at NASA and I’m going to go up there, she would point to the stars,” CQuarter said. She added that she was intentional about nurturing her daughter’s gift for science, numbers, and Legos.