Three teenagers have won the U.S. Education Department’s “I Am What I Learn” video contest. Their videos, posted on YouTube, are about how education is helping them progress toward important goals in their lives. (In addition to their moment of fame, students get $1,000 cash prizes from the department.)
The winners are Rene Harris, a 17-year-old senior at Oxford Area High School in Oxford, Pa., who talks about persisting in her education despite some serious personal-life setbacks; Alex Hughes, 16, a junior at Southeast Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C., who discusses his path to becoming a film director; and Jordan Lederman, a 13-year-old 8th grader at Pine Lake Middle School in Sammamish, Wash. Jordan talks about what her classes taught her to help her achieve her dream of owning a chicken farm.
The contest drew more than 600 entries. Finalists’ videos are on YouTube as well.