High School Student Winners of International Affairs Competition

By: Society News

A high school junior from Minnesota won a $7,500 prize from Asia Society and The Goldman Sachs Foundation in a national high school international affairs competition for a video documentary she created on the issue of limited global access to fresh water. Two other high school students from Maryland and Ohio were also awarded scholarships for their essays on global issues.

The three-minute documentary video produced and narrated by Elyse DeLaittre, 17, a student at Minnetonka High School, near Minneapolis, Minnesota, focuses on inadequate access to clean water, a problem faced by nearly 1.1 billion people worldwide. Elyse is a diploma student in the International Baccalaureate program and hopes to combine her interest in science and international affairs in college.

A $5,000 scholarship prize went to Cory Gu, 17, a senior at Quince Orchard High School, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, for an essay on the potential of low cost laptops to improve access to education and employment for students worldwide. Cory volunteers as a tutor for low-income children and hopes to pursue a career researching inexpensive drugs to treat cancer and AIDS victims in the developing world. Grace Needlman, 17, a senior at Hathaway Brown High School, in Cleveland, Ohio, also won $5,000 for an essay in the form of recommendations to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee to control malaria worldwide.

Business and education leaders have been concerned by recent surveys showing that American students are lagging behind international peers in their knowledge of math, science, and international affairs. “These students underscore that American youth are concerned with what is happening around the world and are becoming truly engaged global citizens,” said Vishakha N. Desai, President of Asia Society. “These prizes are an important part of the Asia Society’s efforts to encourage the next generation of high school students to enhance their international knowledge and skills.” The award ceremony was conducted at Asia Society’s Annual Gala Dinner.

Student entries from across the country were evaluated by a panel of judges that included Lisa Ling, host of National Geographic Explorer; SuChin Pak from MTV News; Milton Chen, Executive Director, The George Lucas Educational Foundation; and Charlotte Frank, Senior Vice President, Research and Development, McGraw-Hill Education.

Prompted by quotes from Mahatma Gandhi and Thomas Friedman, students created audio or video documentaries or wrote essays on topics as various as the genocide in Darfur, fresh water access, nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea, international uses of technology, poverty, HIV/AIDS, and intellectual property rights. The students’ submissions honed in on issues of importance to people around the world, offering thoughtful and varying solutions to some of the world’s most vexing problems.

“Preparing today's students for success and eventual leadership in the global economy is the single most important task facing U.S. education," said Stephanie Bell-Rose, President of The Goldman Sachs Foundation. "If young Americans are to take on challenging global leadership roles in the future, they must possess a deep understanding and appreciation for other cultures, geography, history, and languages. The Prizes program is designed to show students that international education can be challenging, interesting, and relevant in preparing them for the world."

The scholarship prizes are part of the annual Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education, created in 2003 to raise awareness of the growing importance of international knowledge and skills for U.S. students. Since its inception, the program has reached well over 1000 education, media, policy, business and philanthropic organizations. Schools recognized by the Prizes program have become models for other schools throughout the country and for state international education and federal language initiatives. The prize awarded for excellence in media and technology has helped propel “Global Grover” to a full-fledged segment in Sesame Workshop’s programming and related curriculum work.

About The Goldman Sachs Foundation

The Goldman Sachs Foundation is a global philanthropic organization funded by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The Foundation’s mission is to promote excellence and innovation in education and to improve the academic performance and lifelong productivity of young people worldwide. It achieves this mission through a combination of strategic partnerships, grants, loans, private sector investments, and the deployment of professional talent from Goldman Sachs. Funded in 1999, the Foundation has awarded grants of $72 million since its inception, providing opportunities for young people in more than 20 countries. Visit the Foundation at www.gs.com/foundation.

About Asia Society

Asia Society is the leading global organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States. We seek to enhance dialogue, encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts, and culture. Founded in 1956, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution with offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.