LAFAYETTE PARISH — For Betzabe Salomon, a passion for technology started long before she ever entered a science competition. Her father, an electrical engineer, introduced her to the world of engineering at a young age. By 13 years old, Salomon was attending college classes with him to learn about solar energy, often finding herself surrounded by students decades older than she was. And I was the youngest one because everyone was like 30 and older," Salomon said. Now, Salomon hopes to use her own experiences to encourage other young people to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.