Katie Schneider, M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines was unable to attend the scholar luncheon because she was at the Moonshot Morocco Youth Festival sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Casablanca, Morocco. This event was for high school and university Moroccan students interested in STEM. After the Inter House Team, of which she was the project manager, won first place at the Solar Decathlon Africa this past September, they were invited by the Embassy to present their project at this event. Katie was very grateful to have been selected to attend and present for the CSM team. 
 
The Youth Festival was centered on the topics of science & technology, leadership, and entrepreneurship, and she tied all three together in her presentation. She provided an overview of how the team formed and her experience leading it, as well as the design and construction of the house itself. She also met two team members at the event (the Inter House Team was composed of students from Colorado School of Mines and two partner universities in Morocco), and together they ran workshops about passive house and bioclimatic construction principles plus another about energy efficient architecture. 
 
Katie has stated, “I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to explore and experience Morocco, visit my team's Inter House, and engage with people about my passion. Thank you ARCS, as my scholarship has supported my efforts in the Solar Decathlon and encouraged me to take this opportunity!”