WPHS grad earns national silver medal for invention helping children with sensory disorders

What began as an idea in middle school has grown into a nationally recognized engineering achievement for White Plains High School graduate Francis Fokoue-Nkoutche.

The Class of 2026 grad and incoming Stanford University freshman earned a Silver Medal in Engineering at the National NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) Competition in Chicago for developing an innovative headset that helps youths with sensory disorders hear directed speech while filtering out distracting background noise.

The national honor recognizes years of creativity, persistence and independent problem-solving by Francis, whose invention was designed to make everyday communication easier for young people who are hypersensitive to sound.

"I'm so proud of the work he put into his project and happy that he has received even more recognition," said WPHS Science Research teacher Kimberly Fleming.

Francis' project, "Developing a Headset for Children and Teens with Sensory Modulation Disorder Who Are Hypersensitive to Sound," was recognized during the ACT-SO Awards Ceremony July 19 at the 117th NAACP National Convention in the Windy City. He can be seen around the 45-minute mark in the video below.

The annual competition is the culmination of ACT-SO, the NAACP's year-round achievement program that encourages excellence among high school students in STEM, business, visual arts, humanities, culinary arts and the performing arts. National medalists also become eligible for scholarships and other prestigious honors.

The Silver Medal marks the latest accomplishment for a project that has earned recognition throughout the past year.

Francis first won the Gold Medal in Engineering at the Westchester ACT-SO competition, qualifying him to represent White Plains on the national stage. Earlier this spring, he also captured first place in the Engineering category at the Westchester Science & Engineering Fair (WESEF).

The inspiration for the award-winning invention dates back to Francis' middle school years. Determined to turn his idea into a working device, designed and built the headset largely on his own, relying on independent research, YouTube tutorials and extensive trial and error to overcome engineering challenges.

"I wanted to create something that helps kids feel comfortable but still allows them to communicate and build language skills," Francis said earlier this year when his research was highlighted as part of WPHS’s Regeneron Science Talent Search applicants.

His headset is designed to assist children and teens with sensory modulation disorder by allowing important speech to pass through while reducing overwhelming environmental noise. The technology has the potential to help students better engage in classrooms and other social settings without becoming overstimulated. Francis hopes to eventually develop assistive technologies and prosthetic devices that improve people's lives.

This year's National ACT-SO Competition -- whose theme was "We, The People” -- celebrated the nation's 250th anniversary while emphasizing the importance of equal opportunity, quality education and innovation.

Students from across the country competed in a wide range of academic, scientific, artistic and cultural disciplines before national Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were presented during the convention's awards ceremony.