Melania Trump to host Everest Nevraumont and Sierra Burns as guests at State of the Union

First lady melania trump will host two young women in her guest box for the State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 24, selecting a 10-year-old Austin student and a 24-year-old foster-care advocate to underscore her work on foster youth and education with technology. The invitations come ahead of a March summit that will formally launch Fostering the Future Together in Washington, D. C.

Guest list: Everest Nevraumont, a 10-year-old from Austin, and Sierra Burns, 24

Seated with the first lady in the House chamber will be Everest Nevraumont, a 10-year-old fifth grader from Central Texas who attends the Alpha School in Austin, and Sierra Burns, 24, a beneficiary of the Foster Youth to Independence program. A White House news release announced Everest will be in the first lady’s box for the address, and the speech will take place at 8 p. m. ET on Tuesday, February 24.

Everest Nevraumont’s AI work, speaking and history achievements

Everest has been recognized for her work in artificial intelligence at school and has become an advocate for AI-powered learning. She is a public speaker and podcaster who gave a Ted Talk at 10 years old and has delivered a TEDxTalk about how she uses AI in her education. Everest is also a three-time Texas State Champion in History and was on a winning International History Bowl team last year.

Sierra Burns’ background and foster advocacy

Sierra Burns, who is from South Carolina, grew up in the foster system and has become a public advocate for foster children. Burns was named as a beneficiary of the Foster Youth to Independence program and will join Everest in Washington, D. C. representing efforts to advance opportunity for young Americans through education and technology.

Fostering the Future, funding and presidential actions

Melania Trump has made foster children the centerpiece of her Be Best campaign and has worked on those issues even before returning to the White House. In 2025 the first lady led a Presidential Executive Order on "Fostering the Future, " securing $30 million for foster youth housing and launching the Presidential Artificial Intelligence (AI) Challenge and Fostering the Future Together. Separately, President Trump signed an executive order in November to create a "Fostering the Future" program that brings together federal entities, nonprofits, educational institutions and the private sector to develop education and career opportunities for foster youth.

University partnerships, scholarships and the March summit in Washington, D. C.

Melania’s team has established a nationwide network of universities to partner with the initiative, including Vanderbilt, Villanova, University of Miami, University of Florida and Ohio State, and the platform now includes U. S. schools such as the University of Texas and the University of Alabama among others. Students in those partnerships get fulltime scholarships to focus on education with a technological component. The first lady plans to continue related discussions at a two-day summit at the State Department and the White House on March 24th and 25th in Washington, D. C.; that event will be the formal launching of Fostering the Future Together and first spouses from all the world will be invited to join in Washington, D. C.

Family attendance, the president’s agenda and earlier outreach

The first lady will be joined at the speech by other members of the Trump family to watch President Trump give his address to the nation, where he will lay out his agenda for the next year. All his adult children and their partners — Don Jr. and fiancée Bettina Anderson; Eric and Lara Trump; Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner; and Tiffany and Michael Boulos — will be at the speech. In her self-titled documentary "Melania, " the first lady showed a Zoom meeting with French first lady Brigitte Macron that took place as she was preparing for her second stint as first lady, and the two discussed the importance of education for children.

A source close to her said Fostering the Future has positioned the first lady as a leader in empowering children with education and technology. Melania also announced her global initiative at the UN General Assembly meeting in September, saying, "Remember, our next generation will use tech to revolutionize how we live, travel, design, and connect. "

Melania trump’s guest selections for the State of the Union highlight both her long-standing foster-care work and the administration’s emphasis on education and AI as part of its youth initiatives.