Empathy supports young talents
The Empathy Charitable Foundation congratulated Maria Ksenofontova, a 10th-grader, on winning the final stage of the "Start in Science" international competition and presented her with a cash prize. This is not the first success of a schoolgirl from Nizhnyaya Salda; Maria previously won the foundation's engineering accelerator.
Mikhail Shelkov, the founder of Empathy, said:
“We are sincerely happy to see a finalist of our engineering accelerator among the winners of the international competition. In six months, Masha has proved herself in three major projects – such successes should be encouraged as they set an example. I would like to encourage the winner and all Salda school children never to rest on their laurels, but to set new ambitious goals. Next year we may see more children from Verkhnyaya and Nizhnyaya Salda at major national competitions.”
The 10th-grade student from School No. 5 is not only fighting for victory and prizes: each of her projects is dedicated to important socially significant topics, such as the health of school children or the issue of choosing a future profession.
The young winner was part of the prize-winning team of the youth engineering accelerator Masterskaya: Salda 2.0. The young programmers won the accelerator and received support from the Empathy Foundation for the realization of their project. The same team then reached the finals of the all-Russian scientific and practical conference “Start in Innovations”.
In addition to student scholarships, and cash prizes for high school graduates and Olympiad winners, the foundation also aims to unlock children’s creative potential by organizing training courses and holding events with guest psychologists. Last year’s engineering accelerator for teenagers on city improvement was held in Verkhnyaya Salda for the first time, but Mikhail Shelkov, the creator of the Empathy Foundation, appreciated such a successful start and hopes to develop work with young people in the country’s other regions.