I am delighted to inform you that you have been selected as one of our divisional winners in the Smithsonian Women in STEM contest. As a result, your school will be the recipient of a five-thousand-dollar grant for STEM education. This year, selecting our division winners and the grand prize recipient was particularly difficult due to the number of incredible entries we received, and we are so pleased that you are among our winners.

Your letter about Cecilia Payne exhibited knowledge, skill in research, craftsmanship, and passion. These are attributes we look for in our winners. We were so intrigued by your description of the brain-star sky display you put up at your school, and while we loved the photos, we wish we could have seen it in person. Your writing sparkles and inspires.

Again, congratulations! I am certain the world is going to see great things from you in the future.

Sabaa Bukhari,

Smithsonian Institution

When I Showed My Family the Email

My dad said: “Albert Einstein, look out!”

My mom said: “I didn’t know it was possible to be this proud of my kids.”

Nonny said: “This is huge! You are remarkable, little sister.”

Thomas’s message said: Did you ever know that you’re my heeeeero!

Baby Cecilia said: “Gaaa.”

My best friend, Talia, who was over for dinner said: “Second place is amazing and plus it means you’ll be ready to kick butt in the next contest.”

My brain said: I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING.

My brain said: Is this a Good Pile thing or a Bad Pile thing?

Was this Winning?

Or was this No Grand Prize for Nonny, Definitely NOT Winning?

On an Ordinary Sunday

Mom and Dad were visiting a friend who was in the hospital. At home it was just Nonny, me, and baby Cecilia.

Only a couple of days before Thomas’s contract was up and he and Nonny and Cecilia would fly back to his parents’ house in Chicago, and he would start looking for another job.

Lots of people had complimented my display at school. Ms. Trepky gave me extra credit, even though she said I didn’t need it, and Ms. Lopez said she was very proud. I was proud, too. Winning in my division was wonderful, and I tried my best to only be grateful. But I still had that thought in my head wishing I could have done more for Nonny. Done everything that she deserved.

Had I proved anything to that Inside Mirror version of myself, or had I not?

I was out in the front room working on math homework (blech). I heard Cecilia cry. She had this low, bleating cry almost like a lamb, which somehow made it even more heartbreaking. When after a few minutes she hadn’t stopped crying, I hurried down the hall to the bedroom.

Nonny never got mad when I woke her up from naps, so I wasn’t worried about peeking my head through the door. Nonny wasn’t asleep. She was pacing over by the window, bouncing Cecilia up and down in her arms. Cecilia’s fists were clenched and her mouth was open in that wail that tugged your heart around like a dog on a leash. Nonny had baggy eyes and major bedhead.