Written by JRC Reporters Justin Jiang and Alvin Tong
On October 12, 2024, the Chinese American Parents Association of Montgomery County (CAPA-MC) hosted the National Youth Leadership and Innovation Showcase Competition. Ting Mei Chau, a volunteer, organized the event with many parents. Montgomery County Board of Education member Julie Yang came to support. Over 20 clubs participated in the competition, which featured four project categories: Civic Engagement, Community Service, Entrepreneurial Business Plan, and Open Microphone. They also invited many prominent figures, including successful businessmen, entrepreneurs, professors, lawyers, and elected officials to judge the clubs.
Over 20 clubs participated throughout the categories. Each club gave a five-minute presentation to a panel of judges, followed by a five-minute Q&A session. Participant clubs who won their categories could move on to the national competition next month.
The gold prize winners for each category consist of:
Be The Zero Hero Project
Kungfu Performance
SEEDS
ZAIDAO
Intro to SAT Textbook
CAP-MC hosted this competition to provide a platform for students to demonstrate their leadership skills, innovative thinking, and personal talent. They hoped that the judges could share their knowledge and experiences to help and give advice to these students.
Trip Rothschild, a UCLA law graduate, spent over 40 years in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and now volunteers in Montgomery County Public Schools. Rothschild was a judge for the entrepreneurial business plan competition at the showcase. His impression of the participants' presentation was very high. He noted each group’s professionalism and high level of detail.
Another judge at the event and former teacher, Kim Saphire, met “a lot of talented people” that night. Seeing all the talent and civic engagement “gives [her] hope for the future.”
Gold prize winners in every category
This article was provided by Chinese American Parents Association Junior Reporter Club (CAPA JRC) with members who interviewed, audio recorded, wrote, translated, and video recorded. CAPA JRC has 25 Montgomery County middle to high school students. They have created a bilingual platform delivering news and serving the community.
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