Orange County students once again demonstrated keen historical analysis while showcasing their creativity at this year’s National History Day-California competition, clinching two dozen state championships.
That was the highest total of any of the 25 counties participating in the event, which drew more than 1,500 young historians from 248 schools. Riverside County had the second-highest total with 10 championships.
After earning honors at National History Day-Orange County — coordinated by OCDE in March — 80 local projects and the students behind them advanced to the state contest, which took place April 19 through April 21 at California State University, Sacramento.
Of the 80 entries, 45 were declared state finalists, with 24 ultimately earning championship honors. Remarkably, 16 of these champions hailed from the Irvine Unified School District, with half of them coming from Sierra Vista Middle School.
Another 16 projects from Orange County were recognized as runners-up, received honorable mentions, or were granted special awards from sponsors, bringing the total number of OC accolades to 40.
Learning from history
Winning entries from Orange County included the group exhibit “Nauseating a Nation: How the Jungle Turned the Stomach of America Into Legislation” by Emily Yi and Samantha Bailey from Orange County School of the Arts, and the group podcast “Pacific Convergence: Commodore Perry’s Expedition and the Unveiling of Global Dynamics” by Kaiwen Zhao and En Zhang from Irvine’s University High School.
“These students have not only learned about history, they’ve learned from history, and they are applying these lessons in highly compelling presentations,” said OCDE Coordinator Julie Hull, who attended the NHD-CA finals with fellow Coordinator Virginia Reischl. “Their projects reflect a sophisticated understanding of complex issues, along with their implications for our present and future.”
With their success at the state level, 16 of Orange County’s middle and high school projects are now headed to the NHD National Contest, scheduled for June 9 through June 13 at the University of Maryland, College Park. (Elementary projects and podcasts aren’t judged at the national level.) In all, 67 secondary students will represent California on the national stage.
Months of research
National History Day engages more than half a million students across the U.S. annually in a series of contests at the county, state, and national levels. Participating students, from grades four through 12, immerse themselves in months of research, culminating in projects that embody an annual theme. Entries come in the form of exhibits, websites, documentaries, podcasts and performances.
This year, they explored “Turning Points in History,” delving into events, ideas or actions that have profoundly influenced historical trajectories.
The 2025 National History Day theme is “Rights and Responsibilities in History.” For more details about the National History Day-Orange County competition, or to learn how to participate or contribute, visit the NHD-OC website or send an email to NHDinfo@ocde.us.
Below is a list of Orange County’s elementary, junior and senior division champions from this year’s National History Day-California event:
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Orange County Elementary Champions (Grades 4-5)
Individual Poster
“Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March: Turning Point in Civil Disobedience”
Layla Shah
Olinda Elementary, Brea-Olinda Unified School District
Group Poster
“The U.S. Constitution: Turning Point in American Government”
Angela Gayed, Vincy Yu, Michael Suh, Lulu Giang, Danny Torres
Olinda Elementary, Brea-Olinda Unified School District
Individual Podcast
“Turning it Up to 1011: How Moving From Human to Digital Computers was a Pivotal Moment in the U.S. Space Program”
Lexie Holland
Santiago Hills Elementary School, Irvine Unified School District
Group Podcast
“Winging It: Turning Point in Economic Relations Between the United States and China”
Elliott Lee, Theodore Hong
Olinda Elementary, Brea-Olinda Unified School District
Orange County Junior Champions (Grades 6-8)
Individual Documentary
“Beyond the Scalpel: Laparoscopic Surgery and Its Revolutionary Impact on Modern Medicine”
Mahima Wuppalapati
Beacon Park K-8 School, Irvine Unified School District
Group Documentary
“Rising from the Ashes: The Cuyahoga River, a Turning Point in American Environmental Policy”
Poiema Bernier and Lucas Menendez
Acaciawood Preparatory Academy
Individual Exhibit
“When the Computer Wore a Skirt: Christine Darden”
Yesha Gupta
Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
“East L.A. Walkouts: Launching a Movement”
Henry Wiechmann
Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
Group Exhibit
“Newlands Resolution: The Road to American Imperialism; A Political, Military and Cultural Turning Point”
Haidar Alkhafaf and Michael Wang
Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
Historical Paper
“The Irvine Ranch Master Plans and the Birth of a Better City”
Jay Bruce
Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
Individual Performance
“MacArthur’s Bold Gambit: How Operation Chromite Became a Pivotal Turning Point in the Korean War and Shaped NATO’s Inception”
Audrey Kim
Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
Group Podcast
“The Wound and Scar of Divide: Understanding the Partition
Between India and Pakistan and its Lasting Effects on History”
Shreya Pandey and Yash Santosh
South Lake Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
Individual Website
“Harvesting Change: How the Oxnard Strike of 1903 Transformed the Labor Force”
Meghana Wuppalapati
Beacon Park K-8 School, Irvine Unified School District
“The First Opium War: A Turning Point in Chinese History That Opened China to Western Powers”
Ellsa Ye
Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
Group Website
“A Turning Point to Co-existence: How Silent Spring Led to the
Reevaluation of Humanity’s Relationship with the Environment”
Shawn Castrapel, Saanvi Chaparala, Sanay Chaparala, Daniel Cheng and Xinyu “Crystal” Zhou
Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
“A Turning Point in Immigration: How the Transcontinental Railroad Affected the Chinese”
Shreya Hegde and Christine Jeon
Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
Orange County Senior Champions (Grades 9-12)
Historical Paper
“How Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring Represents an Environmental Turning Point”
Katelyn Gan
Sage Hill School
Individual Documentary
“Turning Points in History: Frances Kelsey and the Thalidomide Scandal”
Harmony Yan-Li
Irvine High School, Irvine Unified School District
Group Exhibit
“Nauseating a Nation: How the Jungle Turned the Stomach of America Into Legislation”
Emily Yi and Samantha Bailey
Orange County School of the Arts
Individual Podcast
“Title IX: A Turning Point for Gender Equality in Education and Beyond”
Julianne Wu
Orange County School of the Arts
“Currents of Connectivity: Transistors and the Technological Turning Tide”
Leanna Lo
Northwood High School, Irvine Unified School District
Group Podcast
“Pacific Convergence: Commodore Perry’s Expedition and the Unveiling of Global Dynamics”
Kaiwen Zhao and En Zhang
University High School, Irvine Unified School District
Individual Website
“More Than a Mental Illness: Leo Kanner’s Turning Perspective on Infantile Autism”
Nagyung “Anna” Cho
Northwood High School, Irvine Unified School District
Did we miss any winning entries from Orange County schools? Let us know by emailing communications@ocde.us.