Press Releases
Unsung Heroes Take the Spotlight as Students Earn Over $21,500 in International Lowell Milken Center Discovery Award Competition
Jay Patel and Rayan Hasan of New York's Jericho High School earn grand prize with their documentary on Alice Hamilton, a pioneering physician whose efforts transformed workplace health and safety
September 16, 2025
FORT SCOTT, Kan., – For its 2025 international Discovery Award competition, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes (LMC) has awarded over $21,500 in cash prizes to elementary, middle and high school students. This annual competition inspires students to develop primary and secondary research projects that highlight the powerful historical impact of Unsung Heroes whose stories remain little-known.
Students Jay Patel and Rayan Hasan of Jericho High School in New York were surprised with the announcement that their documentary, The Unsung Hero of Industrial Health: Alice Hamilton's Responsibility in Shaping Industrial Health Policies, had won the competition's $6,000 Grand Prize. LMC CEO Norm Conard presented the award in front of classmates, family, school and district officials, and supervising teacher, Dr. Brian Dussel.
Conard shared his thoughts: "Jay and Rayan's project will be proudly featured in our Hall of Unsung Heroes. Their compelling documentary about physician and researcher Alice Hamilton masterfully captures her courage in investigating occupational hazards and her pivotal role in shaping policies that protected workers nationwide."
"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 Emma Manion from the High School of Health Sciences in Wales, Wisconsin. Guided by supervising teacher Terry Kaldhusdal, Emma created the performance, Ada Deer: An Unsung Hero for Tribal Sovereignty and Justice. Conard presented the award, which honors her portrayal of Ada Deer's trailblazing leadership in restoring tribal sovereignty to the Menominee Nation and her historic role as the first Native woman to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Ara Woo and Chloe Hu, students at Jericho High School in New York, are the winners of the $2,500 Outstanding High School Project award, presented to them by Conard. Dr. Brian Dussel was their supervising teacher. Ara and Chloe's documentary, From Oppression to Action and Solidarity: Yuri Kochiyama, an Unsung Hero in Activism, emotionally relates the story of the Japanese American activist who fought for civil rights, prisoners' rights, and global justice, leaving a lasting impact on movements for racial and social equality.
LMC Program Director Megan Felt presented the $2,000 Outstanding Middle School Project award to Poiema Bernier and Lucas Menendez for their documentary, "Mi Casa Es Mi Casa": Alex Bernal's Fight for Housing Desegregation. Guided by supervising teacher Carolin Menendez at Acaciawood Preparatory Academy in Anaheim, California, the students created a powerful film that tells the story of Alex Bernal, a Mexican American who challenged housing discrimination and advanced fair housing rights, paving the way for greater equality in his community.
Felt also presented the $1,000 Founder's Award to Sarida Limmanee, Chase Swain, Becky Nguyen and Emily Zhang from DeBakey High School for Health Professions in Houston, Texas. Under the guidance of supervising teacher Brittany Adcox, the students created the documentary, Never to be Forgotten: Patricia Goldman-Rakic, a Trailblazer in Neuroscience. The documentary shares the important story of the pioneering neuroscientist whose groundbreaking research on the prefrontal cortex transformed our understanding of memory, cognition, and neurological disorders.
The $1,500 Outstanding Elementary School Project award was presented by Felt to Spring Hill Elementary (McLean, Virginia) student Aprameyan Ramanujan. With the guidance of supervising teacher Shvetha Ramanujan, Aprameyan's documentary, Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight – Who was Patsy Mink, the Mother of Title IX?, shares the story of Unsung Hero Patsy Mink, the first woman of color in Congress who co-authored Title IX, opening doors for generations of women in education and athletics.
The $1,000 Best Performance Award was presented to students Claire Marsh and Meredith Wortmann from St. Rose of Lima Middle School in Crofton, Nebraska. Guided by supervising teacher Ginger Schieffer their performance, Susan La Flesche Picotte: A Trailblazer, shares the powerful story of the first Native American physician who dedicated her life to improving healthcare for the Omaha people and built the first hospital on a reservation, creating greater access to medical care in Native communities.
Alongside the outstanding 2025 Discovery Award entries, additional students and teachers were recognized for their excellent work. Six projects earned $500 Certificate of Excellence awards:
- Ellie Dumas, Janae Maldonado, and Addison Reagan, Texico Elementary School, New Mexico, (Teacher Silvia Miranda), Chester Nez – The Unbreakable Code Talker
- Ananya Kavi, Jericho Middle School, New York, (Teachers Theresa Cantwell and Valerie Conklin), An Angel in Harlem: Dr. May Edward Chinn
- Alexis Folkerts and Warner Huck, Nashua-Plainfield Middle School, Iowa, (Teacher Suzan Turner), Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal Disaster: One Woman's Heroic Fight for Environmental Justice
- Abby Zhu, Phillips Academy Andover, Massachusetts, "We are the Ones We've been Waiting for": Byllye Avery and the National Black Women's Project
- Paige Franzen, Kadence Huck, and Callahan Levi, Nashua-Plainfield High School, Iowa, (Teacher Suzan Turner), How Discrimination Feels: Unsung Hero Jane Elliott's Eye-Opening Exercise
- Olivia Zhang, Ames High School, Iowa, (Teacher Alex Grapp), Margaret Bourke-White: Unsung Hero Behind the Lens
The following teachers and schools were also recognized:
National Outstanding Discovery Award Educators
- Carly Bowden, Monticello Trails Middle School, Shawnee, Kansas
- Kevin Dailey, Ballyshannon Middle School, Union, Kentucky
- Jayda Pugliese, St. Mary's Interparochial School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Aaron Kruger, Central High School, Cheyenne, Wyoming
- Brittany Adcox, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Houston, Texas
Outstanding School Award:
- Jericho High School and Jericho Middle School, New York
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 that 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 may 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 the students' discretion.
Submissions for the next competition season are due July 1, 2026. 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.