Young people on American identity at 250: what they really think

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• Nationwide student podcast project captures diverse American voices
• Winners: standout student podcasts and what they reveal
  • Abridged — youth vote and civic power
  • Civics in Our Schools — fifth graders demand better lessons
  • Leaving Greece — a grandfather’s risk and reward
  • Researching the Underground Railroad — children digging into history
  • The American Dream — one family’s path to belonging
  • The Journal — a daughter’s conversation with a veteran parent
  • Welcome Home, Grandpa — the Vietnam War’s long shadow
• Honorable mentions: a wide range of themes and voices
• How students built stories and found sources

Across classrooms from coast to coast, young reporters picked up microphones to mark America’s 250th. Their podcasts bring family memories, classroom research and local reporting together to ask what “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” means today.

Nationwide student podcast project captures diverse American voices

NPR invited students to explore the American story through sound. More than 700 teams and solo creators sent entries. Their work ranged from family interviews with immigrant relatives to creative reenactments and on-the-ground reporting about school civics.

Topics included immigration journeys, military service, little-known historical moments and modern civic life. Some students secured interviews with veterans and public figures. Others used primary documents and local research to retell dramatic episodes in history.

Winners: standout student podcasts and what they reveal

The judging team selected several winning projects across grade levels. Each entry combines curiosity, reporting and a clear point of view.

• Abridged — youth vote and civic power

  Students: Grace Kepka and Angelika Garrett, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Md.

  Grace, who lives in Takoma Park, explores how allowing 16-year-olds to vote locally can spark civic engagement. The episode examines how early voting rights encourage political learning and community action.

• Civics in Our Schools — fifth graders demand better lessons

  Students: Izabella Anthony and classmates, Hewlett Elementary School, Hewlett, N.Y.

  A group of fifth graders explains why basic civic knowledge matters. They share classroom interviews and ideas about how schools can strengthen citizenship education.

• Leaving Greece — a grandfather’s risk and reward

  Student: Livie Courser, Wickliffe Progressive Elementary School, Upper Arlington, Ohio.

  Livie sits down with her grandfather to hear why he left Greece. His story traces hard work in factories to opening restaurants and building a new life in the U.S.

• Researching the Underground Railroad — children digging into history

  Students: Travis Bozeman and Oliver Heering, South Douglas Elementary, Douglasville, Ga.

  Fourth graders report on the Underground Railroad, blending classroom research with an expert interview and surprising facts from their investigation.

• The American Dream — one family’s path to belonging

  Student: Makayla Cheung, Mercer Island High School, Mercer Island, Wash.

  Makayla interviews her father about emigrating from Hong Kong. The episode shows how sports and small communities helped him find confidence and connection.

• The Journal — a daughter’s conversation with a veteran parent

  Student: Violet Maxinoski, Carmel High School, Carmel, Calif.

  Violet uses her mother’s wartime journal to discuss the contrast between life in a conflict zone and the safety felt back home. It explores gratitude and the fragile nature of security.

• Welcome Home, Grandpa — the Vietnam War’s long shadow

  Student: Ursula Koestner, Roslyn High School, Roslyn Heights, N.Y.

  Ursula interviews family members about the generational toll of the Vietnam War. The episode examines trauma and the struggle to heal after war.

Honorable mentions: a wide range of themes and voices

The selection also highlights many strong entries that explore identity, history and community. Below are notable honorable mentions and their creators.

• America the Beautiful — Pareena Gupta and Vidushee Bala, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, Calif.
• America: The Ups and the Downs — Alana Burwell, The Waldorf School of Philadelphia, Pa.
• America’s New Favorite Sport — Girls’ Flag Football — Josephine and Malcolm Barry-Kao, Lowell High School, San Francisco, Calif.
• An Intro to Differing Perspectives — Waylon Heikinen, Ingomar Middle School, Franklin Park, Pa.
• Becoming American — students from Greenwich High School, Greenwich, Conn.
• Before You Drop A Track: America’s 250th Anniversary — Lukas Boulom, Public Academy For Performing Arts, Albuquerque, N.M.
• Dawg Talk | Are we equal now? — Otwell Middle School students, Cumming, Ga.
• Democracy for Everyone or No One — Jeju Daisy Ahn-Miles, Punahou School, Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Everything Given Forward — Lara Leon, Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Calif.
• Fifty Stars, One Banner — Naina Dhillon, Khan Lab School, Palo Alto, Calif.
• Freedom’s Shore — Dipa Chéry, The Kinkaid School, Houston, Texas.
• From One Immigrant To Another — Afomia Lemma, St. Mary’s Lynn, Lynn, Mass.
• Hope and Resistance — Zinnia Bender, North Fork High School, Hotchkiss, Colo.
• How Is My Life Like In US — Yicheng Sun, Rectory School, Pomfret, Conn.
• Life of a Soldier — students from Jupiter Middle School, Jupiter, Fla.
• More Than A Photograph — Josie Sloan-Westmoreland, The Learning Community School, Swannanoa, N.C.
• Moving From Country to Country — students at Irving A. Robbins Middle School, Farmington, Conn.
• Picketts Charge — Zoe Snyder, Susquenita High School, Duncannon, Pa.
• “So What??” — Kelly Kurtzig, Marin Academy, San Rafael, Calif.
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow — Lark (Miles) Jackman, Public Academy For Performing Arts, Albuquerque, N.M.
• Teddy Roosevelt and His Pets — Abbott Mearns and Keaton Rainwater, College Place Middle School, Lynnwood, Wash.
• The Battle of Monmouth: A Twist on History — Marlboro Middle School students, Marlboro, N.J.
• The Freedom to Fail — Abraham Coher and William Pan, Polytechnic School, Pasadena, Calif.
• The Government Exodus: Why Federal Workers Resign — Anna Su, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Md.
• The Name I Chose — Polly Bemis — Jubilee Sung, Imaginate Ink, Irvine, Calif.
• The Pig and Potato Podcast — Petra Rouhana, Maryvale Preparatory School, Lutherville, Md.
• The Small Pond of Peace — students at P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children, New York, N.Y.
• to be united as citizens — Josh Langlois, Cloverleaf Home Education, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
• Two Worlds, One Dream — Allayar Maratov, Rectory School, Pomfret, Conn.
• What is Home? — Siobhan Allen, The Hewitt School, New York, N.Y.

How students built stories and found sources

Many podcasts relied on personal interviews. Students spoke with parents, grandparents and neighbors to uncover reasons for migration, sacrifice and service.

Others used school archives, battlefield research and expert interviews to add context. Some entries mixed creative reenactment with factual reporting to bring historical moments to life.

Across formats, students showed basic reporting skills: asking follow-up questions, verifying facts and shaping audio into compelling narratives. Teachers and sponsors from public and private schools supported production and fact-checking.