History Competitions
I've been competing in the National History Bee since 2023 and have qualified for nationals 4 years in a row. In my four years of competing I have managed to reach the semifinals of the National History Bee and the United States History Bee all four years (the National History Bee covers world history including American history, while the United States History Bee focuses exclusively on American History). In addition to nationals competitions, I have competed in the biennial International History Olympiad in 2023 (in Rome) and in 2025 (in Paris). I have medaled in the Pop Music History Bee (twice) and the Sports History Bee at internationals, as well as making the semifinals in 2025. In addition to solo competitions, I have also placed 28th nationally as a solo player in the History Bowl (competing against other school teams, many of which have multiple players) and founded my school's history bowl club this year, where I help students from multiple grades practice.
National History Academy
In the summer of 2024, I attended the National History Academy in Middleburg, Virginia. Over the course of four weeks, I visited sites such as historic battlefields, museums, government buildings, presidential homes, and famous universities. Throughout my time there, I attended multiple lectures from people including a film director, the founder of the internet (Vint Cerf), a sitting US Congressman, and a member of the Little Rock 9. I also studied the making of the US Constitution, the buildup to the Civil War, the attempts to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and the Civil Rights Movement using the Case Method developed by Harvard Professor David Moss. During my time at the Academy, multiple major political events happened as well, such as the Supreme Court deciding on Trump's immunity, the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania, and Biden dropping out of the race, the latter of which happened during a speech by US Congressman Dean Phillips. Overall, my time at the National History Academy helped me to see that I was living through history and that I had the capability to change it.