Mrs. Trump announced that as part of her “Fostering the Future” initiative, BE BEST and NVIDIA are providing StudyFetch subscriptions to 1,500 Ashe County students. The partnership is also providing 100 NVIDIA Jetson Nano Developer Kits to Mountain View Elementary and other schools in the district.
The FLOTUS highlighted North Carolina’s success in the 2026 Presidential AI Challenge, singling out Carrie Robledo, a second-grade teacher at Star Elementary School, who created “AI Insect Detectives,” a project introducing young children to artificial intelligence through science and the natural world.
Mrs. Trump connected Robledo’s work to the region's recovery from Helene, saying she had built “something that no hurricane can destroy and no flood can wash away: knowledge.”
She added, “And knowledge is power,” saying education can give the community an opportunity to move beyond the hurricane and help the next generation imagine new possibilities.
Trump described Ashe County's recovery as an example of resilience, telling students that “the storm didn’t have the final word.” She also praised the students directly, declaring:
“Ashe County and Mountain View Elementary—you are the spirit of America! It is wonderful to be with all of the students at Mountain View today. You kids are the stars!”
The First Lady then turned her attention to the students' use of artificial intelligence, encouraging them to approach the new school year with curiosity and ambition.
“Take your education seriously, stay curious, and always challenge yourself.”
The message builds on Trump's broader focus on exposing young people to AI and emerging technology. At the White House's inaugural Presidential AI Challenge awards ceremony in June, she similarly emphasized creating opportunities for young people to learn, innovate and use AI to address real-world problems.
The central message from Ashe County was twofold: recovery through resilience and preparation through technology. Trump relayed the message that education can outlast the physical destruction caused by a natural disaster and give children tools to shape what comes next.
In a lighter moment directed at the elementary school students, she encouraged them to dream beyond what currently exists, telling them to use AI tools to “build something never created before,” and suggesting that if one of them creates the next great robot, they should bring it to the White House to show her.
This event was one of several instances where the first lady leverage AI.education. Earlier this year the FLOTUS introduced a robot to students at the White House