Recently, a young man by the name of Shavonne Campbell got the chance to do what some kids only dream of—  meet the First Lady of the United States. Shavonne, a Jamaican-born teen who has been living in the United States for the past 14 months, and he took the time out to share a few details of his memorable experience. It was berth from something as simple as a game.

“The First Lady heard about the game and was really excited to see what it was about. She requested that I come to Washington DC with others, and the experience was absolutely amazing,” he expressed. The event they were invited to was the National Summer Learning Day Fair held on June 20th.

The game, entitled Life as a first in the field, is about Jackie Robinson ,the first African-American to play on a major league baseball team. The game is location-based — in order to complete the game, one must be at the location given on the map, and as you go, there will be different trivias and other interactive challenges to keep you engaged.

Campbell, who now lives in Brooklyn, said the game he showed the First Lady was a collaborative effort. “We all made it. Seven other kids, we made the game together”, Campbell said. “One person came up with the idea of Jackie Robinson because she actually lived in the building near Ebbets Field, where he used to play.”

Global Kids is a programme that targets middle- and high-school students in New York and Washington, DC and gives them the opportunity to travel abroad and learn digital skills.

First Lady of the United States,Michelle Obama, encouraged the student leaders to continue their learning year-round. “Summer can’t just be a vacation. It’s really a time to try to get ahead”, she said.

Instead of a vacation, some students, like Campbell, will have an even better trip to brag about when school’s back in session. Shavonne shared with us, “If you think you love coding then you should go for it with all that you have and never allow anyone to tell you that you can’t. Never be scared to ask for suggestions and collaborate with others, we all have different skills and abilities so friends might have an idea that will help to make yours even better” .

— Jadan Johnson