The Greatest Leaders
Our Team
Yen Verhoeven
STUDENT-ADVISOR
CEO and Founder of Qi Learning Research Group. Yen’s work is focused on helping elementary school educators bring STEM into their classrooms. She does this through teacher partnerships, professional development activities and workshops, in-class demonstrations, and teacher-centered research that honors and brings together the diverse experiences and viewpoints from people all over the world.
Melissa Carlson
Student-Advisor
Melissa Carlson taught math at Ames High School and DMACC for over a decade before becoming a Learning Lead that supports teacher professional growth. She used to raise and train miniature horses. She enjoys puzzles, reading, and spending time with her family. Her favorite thing about Science in the City is allowing students to take the lead in creativity and leadership. She would love to see this program grow across the state!
Katrina Williams
Student-Advisor
When in the classroom, Katrina Williams often moves into her alter ego to take students on an educational journey to places where they may not have gone before. “The journey each day is to convince a student learner that I have something worthwhile to teach them.” With 27+ years in education and her second in Ames, Williams is navigating a complicated year by focusing on her powers while developing others along the way.
Marsha Morgan
Student-Advisor
Marsha Morgan is an excellent mentor for high school mentors and is available to provide her bountiful experience and expertise to make sure everything goes smoothly and according to plan.
Vijay Williams
High School Mentor
Vijay Williams is an Ames High School senior and entrepreneur who owns his own mass media production company VCR Entertainment Media. Through VCR, Vijay harnesses his creative talents in the writing, filmmaking, drawing, and music fields. He can even play guitar behind his head! His favorite thing about SitC is the use of intersectionality to educate people.
Alina Markutsya
High School Mentor
Alina Markutsya is a sophomore at Ames High School. She is a competitive gymnast who is also passionate about mathematics and science. In her free time, Alina enjoys playing the flute and violin, painting, and hanging out with friends. Her favorite thing about Science in the City is learning and teaching students about STEM and the unique ways it is used in the business world.
Madison DeLashmutt
High School Mentor
Madison DeLashmutt is a Junior at Ames High School. Her hobbies include drawing, playing the piano, and reading. Winter is her favorite season. She would rather prefer cold weather than hot weather. Madison’s favorite things about being a Science in the City mentor is the opportunity to learn valuable leadership skills and to encourage other students to explore their passion for STEM.
Andrew Debner
High School Mentor
Andrew Debner is a Senior at Ames High School. For fun, he loves gardening, photography, drawing, reading, and playing the trumpet. He is excited to study urban sustainable, parametric architecture and eventually working as an architect internationally. His favorite thing about Science in the City is getting students involved in STEM who wouldn’t have considered it otherwise.
Hailey Sibbel
High School Mentor
Hailey Sibbel is a junior at Ames High School. Her mom is from Norway. Some of her hobbies include playing saxophone, horseback riding, photography, and being an active member in 4H and FFA. Hailey’s favorite thing about being a Science in the City mentor is being able to see it from a different perspective.
Davis Verhoeven
High School Mentor / Founder
Davis is a senior at Ames High and the founder of Science in the City. He believes that students have the power to revolutionize our educational system. Through Science in the City, Davis hopes to have a blast with peers exploring relevant, real-world skills, and connecting with the community. His interests include biology, running, and debating. In terms of art, he can draw a decent-looking duck, but attempts at anything beyond ducks become indistinguishable scribbles.
Pedro Loureiro
High School Mentor
Pedro Loureiro is a junior at AHS. His hobbies include photography, acting, reading, and playing with his pet mouse. His favorite hobby is photography, including developing film and printing photos in the darkroom. Pedro is also very passionate about STEM and his favorite thing about SitC is being able to explore how science is used in our community.