The winners for C-SPAN’s national 2022 StudentCam competition are in! Over 3,000 students across the country participated in the contest and with 1,400 entries, 10 submissions from students in California were selected.
The competition, now in its 18th year, invited all middle and high school students from across the country to enter by producing a short documentary that asked students to explore a federal policy or program and address the theme: “How does the federal government impact your life?”
C-SPAN is funded by America’s cable television companies, who also support StudentCam. In Elk Grove, Sacramento, Mountain View and Palo Alto, C-SPAN is available locally through Comcast. Comcast has partnered with C-SPAN to recognize these students and the thoughtful videos they created.
“Comcast is proud to partner with C-SPAN on StudentCam, which encourages students to become engaged, productive and lifelong learners,” said Beth Hester, Vice President, External Affairs, Comcast Cable, California Region. “We offer our heartfelt congratulations to these winning students on this outstanding achievement.”
First Place, receiving $3,000
Aria Rani Sindledecker, a student at Isaac Newton Graham Middle School in Mountain View, will receive $3,000 as a first prize winner for the documentary, “Stigma-Free Nation: Pathway to Parity,” about the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. This documentary will air on C-SPAN at 6:50 a.m. ET and throughout the day on April 17.
Second Place, receiving $1,500
Nadia Soberg, Matthew Arradaza and Griffin Sturino, students at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, will receive $1,500 as second prize winners for the documentary, “A Student’s Perspective on Affirmative Action.” This documentary aired on C-SPAN at 6:50 a.m. ET and throughout the day on April 2.
Third Place, receiving $750
Jennifer Hong and Tovya Michael, students at Inderkum High School in Sacramento, for the documentary, “The National School Lunch Program: Time for a Change?“
Akith Madurapperuma and Eleazar Michael, students at Natomas Charter School in Sacramento, for the documentary, “The Dream Denied,” about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.
Honorable Mentions, receiving $250
Aditya Parekh and Matthew Fields, students at Natomas Charter School, for the documentary, “Climate Change.”
Jeo Adrei Dela Pena, Joseph Chung and Zitlaly Ekoh, students at Franklin High School in Elk Grove, for the documentary, “The Future of Generation Z.”
Ketan Altekar-Okazaki, Aspen Stitt and Alma Samet, students at Palo Alto High School, for the documentary, “Student Press Rights vs Censorship.“
Ella Bishop, Cal Currier and Anthony Landa-Mendoza, students at Palo Alto High School, for the documentary, “Rethinking Government Spending.“
Katya Oks, Devon Vicencio-Ruiz and Eloise Dumas, students at Palo Alto High School, for the documentary, “The Privilege of Quality: Public Education.“
Anaika Walia and Raeva Parikh, students at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, for the documentary, “Has COVID-19 Already Won?“
The 150 winning videos can be viewed at www.studentcam.org.