Brandon Ford (right) with West Philly Hybrid X Team teammates Shamere Palmer (center) and Stefon Gonzales. (Photo from Hybrid X Team Flickr feed, www.flickr.com/photos/evxteam)

When First Lady Michelle Obama’s guests settle in tonight for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, a young West Philadelphian will be among them.

West Philadelphia High School junior Brandon Ford, a leader on the school’s famed West Philly Hybrid X Team, is on a very short list of guests of the first lady announced last night. Ford forgot his school ID last September when members of the team traveled to the White House to stand with President Obama for the announcement of a new science program. He was not allowed in. But, as the Inquirer points out today, the White House didn’t forget him.

The West Philly Hybrid X Team has garnered national attention for its fuel efficient car designs that have fared very well at competitions that have included teams from automotive companies and Ivy League universities.

Ford, who also plays football at West, left with his mother, Linda Jackson, on the 8:15 a.m. train for Washington this morning.