Hi I'm Jessica Bentley Franz, the proud mother of Zakrey Franz - he is an extraordinary 12 year old.  Zak's 7th grade teacher nominated him for an opportunity to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum - Explore STEM.  Zak was personally selected by Ms. Calico based upon his academic potential in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math, often referred to as the STEM fields. Zakrey has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Education as a Distinguished Alumni of the Amelia Middle School in Ohio.

The money will be used to attend the week long STEM program at UCLA, for educational material, lodging, and transportation.
Cost of the STEM Program:      $2,300.00
Lodging:                                               $1,800.00
Airfare:                                                  $1,475.00
Car rental:                                           $    350.00
        
We are also open to sugguestions from others that have been Successful  in running a gofundme campaign.

I have been a stay at home mom and my husband is a welder so we are unable to pay for this entire trip. 
Zak has worked so hard to hold a 4.0 GPA and be a straight A student since kindergarten. Its at times like this that my husband and I wish we were rich, wealthy, financially set, how ever you want to word it.   

We need the money by 6/20/16 

This means the world to Zak because its a once in a lifetime experience.  Zak said it will also create a personalized success plan to help him prepare for the academic challenges and career opportunities that he will face in the future.  Zakrey's teachers say, he is a very focused, determined, and goal oriented student.  The Amelia Middle school teachers see Zak as a dependable leader and is not influenced by others negativity. 

Zakrey is so very thankful for his teacher Ms. Ann Calico for nominating him and he is also very thankful to each and every person that supports him.