Science Heroes Home Page > Lily Rojas-Arcos

Lily Rojas-Arcos

OMSI: Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

LR: I was born in Portland and have lived here all my life.

OMSI: What three words best describe you?

LR: Intelligent, funny, friendly.

OMSI: Do you have any hobbies, interests, or experiences that have helped prepare you for success in science?

LR: We had a lot of guest speakers come to our Smart Choices club in 5th grade (from Intel, OMSI, etc.) and do science projects with us.

OMSI: Please tell us about a mentor or teacher who helped to inspire your interest in science.

LR: When I was in the Smart Choices at Rigler Elementary, we got to make human magnets. That made me more interested in science.

OMSI: What is your favorite class this year?

LR: Math.

OMSI: What's the worst trouble you ever got into in school? Have you ever blown anything up?

LR: I have never gotten into trouble or blown anything up, except maybe soda pop when I shook it.

OMSI: Describe a difficult situation that you were in and how you handled it.

LR: When I went to Outdoor School, I got homesick. I just tried to take it one day at a time, and I made it the whole week!

OMSI: What is your dream? What do you most hope to accomplish in your career?

LR: I want to be an electrical engineer. I like to make things with my hands.

OMSI: How do you feel about the current state of science education in the U.S.?

LR: I think we get enough science. I wish there was more equipment in the room, like more computers.

OMSI: What do you like to do in your free time?

LR: Ride bikes, hang out with my family and do activities with them like play games.

OMSI: What do you consider your very best skill?

LR: Math.

OMSI: Please tell us about your science fair project. How did you come up with the idea for your project? How did you go about researching and building your project? What was it like to participate in the science fair, and what do you remember most from the fair?

LR: My project was about whether gum increases a person's typing skills. I read about it, that gum helps your memory stick and helps you think better. Then I wondered if gum would help you type better or faster. I decided to choose the same type of gum for everybody. I wanted to do people who were beginners, intermediate and advance at typing. It was fun, and tiring. My favorite part was the judges. They were really funny.

OMSI: If you were to build your science fair project again, would you do anything differently?

LR: I would get a bigger poster and I would explain it step by step.

OMSI: Please tell us about your educational plans and goals.

LR: I want to go to college and get a degree in electrical engineering. I don't really think about this much yet.