Melania Trump to host foster-care advocate and 10-year-old AI student at State of the Union
melania trump will bring two young women into her guest box for the State of the Union on Tuesday, February 24, underscoring her focus on foster youth and technology: Sierra Burns, 24, a beneficiary of the Foster Youth to Independence program, and Everest Nevraumont, a 10-year-old student from Austin who studies at the Alpha School.
Two guests: Sierra Burns, 24, and Everest Nevraumont, 10, in the first lady’s box
The first lady will seat Sierra Burns and Everest Nevraumont in her guest box for the State of the Union, with Burns identified as a 24-year-old beneficiary of the Foster Youth to Independence program and Everest described as a 10-year-old student at Alpha School in Austin, Texas. Everest’s school offers a hybrid learning curriculum that includes artificial intelligence, and Burns has become a public advocate for reform of the foster system after having grown up in it.
Everest’s schoolwork and public profile: TEDx/TED talks, history championships
Everest Nevraumont has been recognized for work in artificial intelligence at school and has become an advocate for AI-powered learning. She is a public speaker and has delivered a TEDxTalk about how she uses AI in her education; the context also notes she gave a Ted Talk at 10 years old to discuss her love of learning. Everest is a three-time Texas State Champion in History and was on a winning International History Bowl team last year, and she has worked as a podcaster and history champion.
Sierra Burns and the foster-care focus of the Be Best platform
Sierra Burns, from South Carolina, is described as having grown up in the foster system and now publicly advocates on behalf of foster children. Melania Trump has made foster children the centerpiece of her Be Best campaign and worked on the issue even before returning to the White House. Students connected to Melania’s initiatives receive fulltime scholarships to focus on education with a technological component.
Policy steps: executive orders, $30 million and the Presidential AI Challenge
The context records multiple policy moves tied to the first lady’s priorities. In November, President Donald Trump signed an executive order 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. In 2025, the first lady led a Presidential Executive Order on "Fostering the Future, " securing $30 million for foster youth housing and launching both the Presidential Artificial Intelligence (AI) Challenge and Fostering the Future Together. Melania Trump is also leading the Presidential AI Challenge.
Partnerships, a March summit and international outreach
Melania’s team has established a nationwide network of partner universities including Vanderbilt, Villanova, the University of Miami, the University of Florida and Ohio State; other named U. S. schools in the platform include the University of Texas and the University of Alabama, among others. A two-day summit at the State Department and the White House will formally launch Fostering the Future Together and focus on empowering children in technology and AI. First spouses from around the world are expected to be invited to Washington, DC, on March 24 and March 25 for that event. In her documentary "Melania, " she showed a Zoom meeting with French first lady Brigitte Macron during preparations for her second stint as first lady in which they discussed the importance of education for children.
Family attendance, timing and messages for the State of the Union
The first State of the Union of President Donald Trump’s second term is scheduled for 8 p. m. ET on Tuesday, February 24, and the first lady will be joined in the gallery by members of the Trump family. 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. The president is expected to lay out his agenda for the next year, and the choice of guests reflects the first lady’s stated priorities: "Sierra and Everest embody my ongoing mission to uplift America's foster youth and expand opportunity for our next generation through education and technology, " Melania Trump said.
A person close to the first lady added that "Fostering the Future has positioned the first lady as a leader as it relates to empowering children with education and technology. " The context also notes that the first lady announced the global initiative at the U. N. General Assembly in September and said, "Remember, our next generation will use tech to revolutionize how we live, travel, design, and connect. "
Context material notes that Melania and Donald Trump are bringing separate guests to the State of the Union, a break with precedent, and that the two guests in the first lady’s box will represent the twin themes of foster care and technology that she has emphasized.
