NAZARETH, Pa. — "If you were a newly elected member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why?"
- Nazareth Area High School students Gracy Franco Prasanna, Lauren Soto and Samreen-Joy Minhas recently won honorable mentions in C-SPAN’s national 2023 StudentCam competition
- They received $250 for their documentary, "Immigration Reform"
- Health care, the environment, education, economy and gun violence and firearm policy were the most popular topics
It's a question that Nazarth Area High School students Gracy Franco Prasanna, Lauren Soto and Samreen-Joy Minhas recently grappled with, as part of C-SPAN’s national 2023 StudentCam competition, according to a written release from C-Span Classroom in Washington D.C.
They won honorable mentions for their answers, receiving $250 for their documentary, "Immigration Reform."
The goal of the 19-year-old contest is for students to explore multiple perspectives on important topics and then find solutions.
This year, 3,000 students entered the contest with 1,500 entries from 40 states, Washington, D.C. and Abu Dhabi. The most popular topics addressed were health care (16%), environment (14%), education (12%), economy (10%) and gun violence and firearm policy (8%).
"Capitalizing on the platform of short film," said Craig McAndrew, director of C-SPAN Education Relations, "these passionate young people masterfully showcased the fruits of active learning."
C-SPAN is funded by cable companies, which also support the StudentCam contest.
In Nazareth, it is locally available through Service Electric.
"We offer our heartfelt congratulations to Gracy, Lauren and Samreen-Joy on this outstanding achievement," said Steve Salash, senior director of Marketing at Service Electric.
"What an inspiration to hear a young voice tackle such an important issue in a creative and thoughtful way."
The 150 winning videos can be viewed at www.studentcam.org.