Yawaywish “Wish” Vega is a fourth grader at Rose Salgado Elementary School and a member of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians. She recently won first place at her school site to advance to the San Jacinto Unified School District science fair. Wish is the late Rose Salgado’s great niece. Her father is Ash-wut Vega, and her grandmother is Eustacia (Salgado) Maciel.
Her experiment titled “Stinky Cheese” compared which storage methods would keep certain types of cheese fresher longer: original packaging, plastic food storage bag or glass container.
“I chose this topic because I was thinking cheese would be interesting to do,” said Wish, who turns 10 years old in February. “I learned from the process that it was fun learning about cheese, but it was a lot of work to do.”
She spent about a week on her experiment and discovered a surprising result. She found that cheddar cheese developed mold faster than pepper jack cheese in a zippered food storage bag, which she had hypothesized would be the worst.
On January 15, SJUSD hosted its annual District Science Fair, celebrating curiosity, creativity, and scientific thinking among students in grades 4–12. The district’s website shared that the event featured the top projects from each school, highlighting the hard work and ingenuity of students who conducted experiments or designed original prototypes as part of their site-level science competitions.
A wide range of projects were on display, with titles such as Bouncy Eggs, The Best Power Plant, Which Filtration Method Makes the Cleanest Water?, Smart Cane, Stinky Cheese, Under Pressure, and Which Brand of Battery Will Last Longer? Each project demonstrated strong research skills, problem-solving, and a passion for discovery.
Although Wish’s project was not among the 11 that were selected to advance to the Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair on Feb. 27, the District Science Fair was a true celebration of student innovation and a testament to the bright future of science in area schools.
It’s no surprise that this is Wish’s favorite subject in school.
“I like science because it’s fun to do experiments,” she said.
