This summer, three Bluffton youngsters received a head-start on their careers.

Adelyn Althaus, Kennedy Longworth and Ethan Smith joined other outstanding elementary students from across Ohio to participate in a unique academic and career-oriented development experience at Bowling Green State University.

The experience was the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF): Pathways to STEM.

Adelyn is the daughter of Andy and Danielle Althaus, Kennedy is the daughter of Kurt and Sabrina Longworth, and Ethan is son of Joe and Liz Smith, all of Bluffton.

NYLF Pathways to STEM is one of the Envision family of programs that enable students to explore their interests and experience learning beyond the classroom.

Adelyn, Kennedy and Ethan were nominated by their second grade teacher, Ashley Fry. Adelyn hopes to go into forensics, Ethan wants to be a scientist and develop medicine and Kennedy would like to be an astronaut.

“As an alumna of Envision myself, I am excited for Adelyn, Kennedy, and Ethan to meet, work, and collaborate with fellow high-aspiring students from other cities and schools,” said Amanda Freitag Thomas, SVP for Envision.

“Hands down, my favorite part of attending an Envision program was being with motivated students in an environment designed to help us challenge our assumptions, meet new people, and grow.

Creating that same learning environment is a central focus for all of our programs. At NYLF Pathways to STEM, students build the confidence and skills needed to excel in the classroom while gaining exposure to STEM fields and concepts.

They learned how to adapt to and communicate in new situations, to new challenges, and with new people, which, given how rapidly the world is changing due to technology and innovation, are essential skills for success.”

Since 1985, Envision programs have served more than 800,000 students in more than 145 countries, with programs designed to help students develop the leadership, scholarship and career skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive college and career landscape.