Through the troubling times, there are people that rise to the occasion and volunteer to help others in our communities. Emelie, currently a freshman at Memorial, has put her 3D printer and her interest in the STEM field to considerable use. During this pandemic, Emelie has used her time to truly serve her community by creating adjustable face mask buckles that are much more comfortable to wear during long hours than elastic. 

Recently, Emelie has been exploring the world of healthcare as a profession in the future, creating these buckles were her contribution to serving medical professionals on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic. Adjustable buckles that could fit into surgical face masks seemed an optimal choice to relieve the irritation of the elastic pull on the ears. 

After finding research to code for printing face mask buckles, she was able to print a few prototypes. She sent them to her uncle who is a surgeon at Kaiser Hospital in Anaheim, CA where they were a big success among his team. Her aunt, working as a Pulmonary Registered Nurse at Children’s Hospital in Orange County, CA, requested them for herself and her peers. Besides her family, Emelie donated some to a neighbor who is a Registered Nurse at a local hospital; as well as planning to contact other local hospitals to donate her so far 100 face masks buckles for their staff. 

“I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to help out others,” Emelie said regarding her feelings towards making a difference. 

Those that would like to reach her about her face masks buckles can at her email, [email protected]