Seven Northwood students were awarded the Congressional Award Gold Medal, the U.S. Congress’ highest honor for youth, at the 2024 Gold Medal Summit from June 12-14.

Seniors Steven Cheng, Anna Cho and Cindy Gong, junior Jeongwoo Lee and alumni Justin Oh, Judy Tao and Terry Wang were among the 23 IUSD students who received the award. Youth who received the award completed at least two years of public service, physical fitness and community involvement, among other things.

“The first type of volunteering I did to get the award was at Discovery Cube, where I had to interact with younger kids a lot,” senior Cindy Gong said. “It taught me how to communicate with others and react on the spot. You have to think about how you respond and talk with them, so it really helped train me to interact with strangers.”

At the summit in Washington, D.C., students were given the opportunity to meet with members of Congress, public and private partners as well as industry and civic leaders. Students attended speaker panels at the Congressional Auditorium in the Capitol Visitor Center and a Washington Nationals baseball game, where they were featured on the jumbotron for their achievements.

“This award meant a lot to me because it was a cumulation of three years of hard work, and it paid off,” Cheng said. “I was able to see what I accomplished and be recognized for it, so I was very happy and proud of myself.”

Submissions to join the Congressional Award Gold Medal Class of 2025 are also open until February 1, 2025, with revisions due on March 15, 2025.

“I’ve been lucky enough to see everything that it takes to get this award, so I think it’s an amazing accomplishment, and I look forward to continuing to see what they’re going to do,” assistant principal Christina Banagas-Engelerdt said.

For more information, visit https://www.congressionalaward.org/ or email [email protected] for any program or participant inquiries.