Student named winner in nationwide scholastic contest

Leila Wright

Leila Wright, a rising sophomore from Seneca Valley Intermediate High School, was recently named a first-place awardee of “America’s Field Trip,” a new, nationwide scholastic contest encouraging students to reflect on what America means to them.

Thousands of students from across the country submitted inspiring entries, responding to the prompt, “What does America mean to you?” for the first-ever “America’s Field Trip” contest. A panel of current and former educators selected 150 students as awardees, hailing from 44 states and territories. First-place awardees will take part in unforgettable field trip experiences this summer at iconic American historical and cultural sites, and second-place awardees will receive $500 cash awards.

America250, the official nonpartisan entity charged by Congress with planning the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, announced the inaugural cohort of “America’s Field Trip” awardees. The contest will continue in 2025 and 2026, with next year’s contest launching this September.

“We’re thrilled to announce the first-ever ‘America’s Field Trip’ awardees – 75 incredible students from across the country who will now embark on transformative field trip experiences where they’ll experience history outside of the classroom,” said America250 Chair Rosie Rios. “We’re grateful for all of the students, teachers and families who engaged around ‘America’s Field Trip’ – one of the first big steps on our long journey together to the Semiquincentennial. As we advance toward July 4, 2026, ‘America’s Field Trip’ will only get bigger, engaging thousands of students around our collective history and giving them a platform to actively participate in envisioning our future.”

America250 announced “America’s Field Trip” in cooperation with BNY, a global financial services company that played a pivotal role in the development, growth and rise of the United States for 240 years. “The meaningful experiences these students will gain beyond the classroom by visiting iconic American sites will inspire them and all the lives they touch to advance the nation’s long history of innovation,” said Jayee Koffey, Global Head of Enterprise Execution and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for BNY. “We congratulate these students and their families and are honored to be part of their journey.”