Jerrell King, a 15-year-old junior at Friendship Tech Prep Academy in Southeast, has won a Google Science Fair competition besting other Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholars from across the District, it was announced on April 5.
King’s winning invention is called “Insta Laptop”, which is a design turning ordinary smartphones into personal computers by using bluetooth keypads and amplifying screens.
“It has shown me that I’ve accomplished so much through my time here in this school, and it has shown me that I’ve the potential to do so much more. The sky is never the limit,” Jerrell told FOX 5 DC.
“Jerrell talked about the information divide and technology gap and what that looks like globally. He thought with an invention like this that costs less than 50 dollars, it would be accessible all over the world,” said his physics teacher Lenora Felder about the student’s invention.
Jerrell’s principal said his academic achievements were inspiring even for the adults in the school. “When we have students who are extremely driven, who think out of box, it makes our teachers say that yes this is why we teach,” said Friendship Tech Academy PrincipalKen Ye Booth.
Jerrell will be spending the coming summer in California at Apple’s engineering camp. “He’s going to Apple in California and he’s 15, and that inspires other students here, as well,” added his teacher.
Jerrell said it had been a blessing to represent his school and the city of Washington, D.C. this far. Now he’s excited about the journey ahead.
“I just can’t wait to see what is next,” said a euphoric Jerrell.