Press Releases
Students Shine Light on History's Unsung Heroes, Earning Over $25,000 in Lowell Milken Center Discovery Award Prizes
Harmony Yan-Li of California's Irvine High School earns grand prize with documentary about Dr. Frances Kelsey, who protected U.S. against dangers of thalidomide and prompted a transformation in public health
September 18, 2024
FORT SCOTT, KS, – For its 2024 international Discovery Award competition, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes (LMC) has awarded over $25,000 in cash prizes to elementary, middle and high school students. This annual competition inspires students to develop primary and secondary research projects that share the powerful historical impact of Unsung Heroes whose stories are little-known.
California's Irvine High School student Harmony Yan-Li was surprised with the news of winning the competition's $6,000 Grand Prize overall. Dr. Toni Guglielmo of the Lowell Milken Family Foundation presented the award to Harmony in front of a group of classmates, family, school officials, and her supervising teacher, Jennifer Harrington. Together, they celebrated and viewed Harmony's inspiring Unsung Hero documentary, Turning from Tragedy: The Unsung Story of Frances Kelsey and the Thalidomide Scandal.
LMC Executive Director Norm Conard shared his thoughts: "Harmony Yan-Li's project will be proudly shared in our Hall of Unsung Heroes. Her powerful documentary about pharmacologist and physician Frances Kelsey masterfully relates the courage of Dr. Kelsey in taking a bold stand against the use of thalidomide in the United States, averting a further crisis for women and their unborn children."
"Real heroes tower and guide," said LMC Founder Lowell Milken. "But their stories need to be discovered and heard. When we do, we have the opportunity to motivate new generations to aspire to values that are essential during the challenging times we face individually, as a nation, and as a world community."
The $3,000 First Place prize was awarded to student Rehan Mathew Koshy from Walter Payton College Preparatory High School in Chicago, Illinois. His documentary, Ensign Jane Kendeigh: Angel to the Rescue, shares the story of Unsung Hero Jane Kendeigh, the first female U.S. Navy flight nurse to land in Iwo Jima during World War II. Rehan's supervising teacher was Allison Gillick.
Kaitlyn Choi and Madison Choi, students at Jericho High School in New York, are the winners of the $2,500 Outstanding High School Project award, presented to them by LMC Executive Director Norm Conard. Brian Dussel was their supervising teacher. Kaitlyn and Madison's website, Being (Judy) Heumann: Champion for the Rights of the Disabled, emotionally relates the determination of Unsung Hero Judy Heumann to represent the rights of disabled people in our society.
The $2,000 Outstanding Middle School Project award was presented by LMC Executive Director Norm Conard in New York to Jericho Middle School student Jay Patel — supervised by teacher Michelle Vevante — for his documentary, The Color of Blood: Dr. Charles Drew, An Unsung Hero in Blood Preservation. Charles Drew’s transformation in blood preservation and the establishment of blood banks helped save millions of lives during World War II and continues to save lives today.
LMC Program Director Megan Felt presented the $1,000 Founder's Award to students Anna McLaughlin and Danika Szopinski from Seaman High School in Topeka, Kansas. Their documentary, Bela Hazan: The Courier Who Redefined Resistance and Changed History, shares the important story of a young Jewish victim of the Holocaust. As a courier and member of the Jewish Resistance, Hazan smuggled information, money and arms to ghettos during the Holocaust. Susan Sittenauer was their supervising teacher for the project.
The $1,500 Outstanding Elementary School Project award was presented to Christian Learning Center students Charlee and Hadley Wells by LMC Program Director Megan Felt in Fort Scott, Kansas. With the guidance of supervising teacher Rachel Wells, their documentary, Etching Voices: An Unsung Hero in the Recording and Music Industry, shares the story of Unsung Hero Emile Berliner, whose invention of the gramophone greatly impacted the accessibility and affordability of recorded music for people throughout the world.
In addition to these outstanding 2024 Discovery Award entries, other students and teachers were honored for their excellent work. The following seven projects received Certificate of Excellence awards:
- Aprameyan Ramanujan, Spring Hill Elementary in VA, (Teacher Shvetha Ramanujan), Warrior on Wheels – Judith Heumann, the Mother of the Disability Rights Movement
- Jackson Mehmen, Nashua-Plainfield Middle School in IA, (Teacher Suzy Turner), Norman Borlaug: Scientist and Humanitarian
- Rayan and Rumaisa Hasan, Jericho Middle School in NY, (Teachers Laura Suchopar, Marci Kivo and Michelle Vevante), Jean Heller: The Unsung Hero Who Paved the Way for American Bioethics
- Ananya Kavi, Jericho Middle School in NY, (Teacher Pamela Travis), A Heart of Gold: The Heroic Work of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams
- Charlie Stones, Washburn Rural High School in KS, (Teachers Lindsey Dowell and Alice Bertels), March 19, 1966 (Unsung Hero Don Haskins)
- Claira Morgan, Loup County High School in NE, (Teacher Megan Helberg), Percy Hobart: The Mind That Helped Win World War II
- Makenna Hatten and Andrew Ritter, Moriarty High School in NM, (Teacher Amy Page), Remembering Angkar: How Dith Pran Risked Death to Record the Cambodian Genocide
These teachers and school were also recognized:
- National Outstanding Discovery Award Teacher: Chris Dier, Benjamin Franklin High School, New Orleans, LA
- Outstanding Teacher Awards: Megan Helberg, Loup County Public Schools, NE; Tami Lunsford, Newark Charter School, NJ; Miranda Spina and Jayda Pugliese, St. Mary Interparochial School, PA
- Outstanding School Award: Jericho High School and Middle School, NY
LMC's Discovery Award provides a unique opportunity for U.S. and international students in grades four through 12 to research primary sources and use their talents to develop projects that showcase the power of one person to make positive change in the world. The actions which define the Unsung Hero's legacy must have occurred a minimum of 20 years ago, and the project must demonstrate a tangible impact made over time as a result of those actions. Students must create a documentary, performance or website featuring an Unsung Hero, accompanied by an annotated bibliography and process paper. The prize money can be spent at students' discretion.
Submissions for the next competition season are due July 1, 2025. Project work may begin immediately.
About LMC
Established in 2007, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes (LMC) discovers, develops, and communicates the stories of Unsung Heroes who have profoundly and positively impacted history, yet are largely unrecognized by contemporary generations. LMC has reached over 3,000,000 students in all 50 states and countries worldwide. Learn more about LMC and the Discovery Award. Connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.