Orange County School of the Arts student Emily Yi shows her third-place project, “Legacy of Betrayal and Medical Immorality: The Rights, Responsibilities, and Redemption of Tuskegee” to OCDE Coordinator Julie Hull at the NHD Finals at the University of Maryland. 
Sierra Vista Middle School students Shawn Castrapel and Max Castrapel win first place medals at the 51st annual NHD finals at the University of Maryland. 
Orange County School of the Arts student Samantha Bailey wins first place in the senior individual exhibit category along with a scholarship to the National History Academy summer intensive. 
Acaciawood Preparatory Academy students Poiema Bernier, Rebekah Miller, Lucas Menendez and Enoch Wu showcase their award-winning junior group documentary at the National Museum of African American History and Culture as part of NHD week. 
Sierra Vista Middle School students Christine Jeon and Joseph Featherstone earn third place medals with their presentation, “The Thalidomide Tragedy: Rights of Consumers’ Healthcare and Responsibilities of the Manufacturer.” 
Santiago Hills Elementary School student Aria Yatavelli performs her project titled “Phone Booths to Smartphones: Rights and Responsibilities from Katz to the Digital Age.” 
Orange County students join California NHD participants in the parade of states, a ceremonial tradition at the NHD finals opening event.
Quick look: Orange County students earned four national medals, three finalist honors and one special award at the 2025 National History Day finals, contributing to California’s first-place medal count for the second year in a row.
California students once again shone brightly at the 51st annual National History Day finals this month — with Orange County students playing a major role in the state’s success.
For the second consecutive year, the Golden State earned more medals than any other state at the National History Day Contest, held June 8-12 at the University of Maryland. In total, 10 California entries were named medalists, six were finalists, six earned honorable mentions and three received special awards. Orange County students contributed to each of those tallies with four medal-winning entries, three finalists and one earning a special award.
More than 2,800 students from across the country and three international schools gathered for the weeklong competition, which challenged them to present original research surrounding the theme “Rights & Responsibilities in History.” Projects ranged from exhibits and performances to websites and documentaries, with students working individually or in teams to explore the balance between freedoms and obligations among subjects including politics, medicine and civil rights.
“We are absolutely thrilled by the incredible success of our Orange County students at this year’s National History Day contest,” said Julie Hull, OCDE coordinator of NHD-Orange County. “Their hard work, creativity and deep commitment to historical research stood out on a national stage among thousands of outstanding entries.”
Orange County middle and high school students were supported by their families, teachers and Orange County Department of Education staff throughout the five-day event.
Honoring OC scholars
Sierra Vista Middle School students Shawn Castrapel and Max Castrapel took home first place in the junior group website category for their project, “Rights and Responsibilities: The Hetch Hetchy Dam and Its Environmental Impact.”
In the same category, Sierra Vista classmates Christine Jeon and Joseph Featherstone earned third place with their presentation, “The Thalidomide Tragedy: Rights of Consumers’ Healthcare and Responsibilities of the Manufacturer.”
Also representing the Irvine Unified School District, Northwood High student Anna Cao placed fifth in the senior individual website category for her work titled “The Nuremberg Code: Shaping Human Rights and Responsibilities in Medical Research.”
A project by students Poiema Bernier, Rebekah Miller, Lucas Menendez and Enoch Wu of Acaciawood Preparatory Academy in Anaheim also earned dual honors. The group took fifth place in the junior group documentary category and received the special Latino American History award for their project, “The Right to Stay: Doss v. Bernal Dismantling Housing Segregation.” The documentary was additionally selected to be showcased at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
From Orange County School of the Arts, students Samantha Bailey and Emily Yi were both recognized in the senior individual exhibit category. Emily earned third place for her project, “Legacy of Betrayal and Medical Immorality: The Rights, Responsibilities, and Redemption of Tuskegee” while Samantha won first place for “Forbidden to Fundamental: Perez v. Sharp’s Defense of Marriage Rights and Call for Constitutional Responsibility.”
In addition to her win, Samantha was the only California student selected for a full scholarship to attend a summer American history program hosted by the National History Academy, an educational partner of the NHD program.
“Samantha and Emily didn’t just study history — they made it,” said OCSA history teacher Lana Sawalha. “As an NHD coach, it’s incredible to watch students grow into powerful storytellers and critical thinkers. They showed us how history can come alive when you care deeply about your topic.”
Santiago Hills Elementary School student Aria Yatavelli also took fifth place in the junior individual performance category for her presentation, “Phone Booths to Smartphones: Rights and Responsibilities from Katz to the Digital Age.”
Presenting historical analyses
Throughout the five-day event, students analyzed perspectives, provided context and presented their research through multiple judging rounds before receiving their medals and special award recognitions.
At the June 12 closing ceremony hosted by NHD Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn, $150,000 in scholarships were awarded and about 100 students nationwide received cash prizes ranging from $250 to $5,000 for exceptional work in specific judging categories.
“From earning top medals to receiving special honors and scholarships, these students represented our county with excellence, passion and purpose,” Hull said.
A complete list of 2025 National History Day winners from California is available on the NHD-CA website.