Those who are fortunate enough to be awarded the Davidson Fellows Scholarship are in for a fabulous treat. I received notification of my award through the mail in June of the year that I applied. The announcement came in an innocent-looking FedEx package but brought with it great tidings. The news really took me by surprise because it had been a couple of months since I had applied and I did not know when to expect a reply.

After this notification, I was caught up in a whirlwind of activities to "prepare" for and accept the Davidson Fellows Scholarship. I had to draft up a biography and ready some media-related documents for the media blitz conducted by the Davidson Institute. Even more exciting was the planned trip to Washington, DC to meet the Davidsons themselves and to accept the award in our nation's capitol!

My trip to Washington, DC took place in late September. After arriving at the Washington Court Hotel, my mom and I (we were allowed to bring a parent for free!) attended the informal dinner hosted by the Davidson Institute in the elegant hotel. There I met all of the other Fellows all of whom were just as excited as I was to be in attendance. We chatted for a long time in a lounge area specially set off for us before heading to bed, excited for the next day's adventures.

All throughout the next day we walked the capitol meeting our Congressmen and Congresswomen as well as our Senators. Many of these important, elected officials took time out of the busy schedule to meet with us and congratulate us, a testament to the Davidson Fellows Scholarship's influence and the increasingly important role of gifted educational (and education in general).

At night we had the highlight of the trip to Washington, DC: the Davidson Fellows Reception at the Library of Congress. In this beautiful and historical building we mingled with friends, family, and many of other individuals who had supported us in our life journey. Each Fellow was also given the chance to speak from a prepared speech and talk a little about his or her work. It was certainly a special and humbling experience to talk in the Library of Congress and to accept the Davidson Fellows Scholarship from Bob and Jan Davidson!

Here I am at the Library of Congress giving my acceptance speech for my Davidson Fellows Scholarship in the field of science (Photo by John Zhou).