KidNuz Convos: America's Field Trip

“I check my email. I'm not kidding. I just start screaming. I start jumping up and down. I'm like, oh my god. I am so excited.”— Julianna, one of 75 winners of the America's Field Trip National Student Competition

Tori

That's one of the winners of this year's America's Field Trip Contest, part of our exciting update to a story we first brought you in February.

Hi. I'm Tori, and welcome to the latest episode of KidNuz Convos, where we have a conversation on a single topic that's of interest to kids. America's Field Trip invited kids to submit an entry with a chance to win an all-expense-paid field trip to one of about a dozen different places as part of the way to help celebrate America's upcoming 250th birthday. And today, we're going to meet two of the first-place winners.

But first, we get to talk with the head of this program, former US Treasurer Rosie Rios. It's good to have you back on our program, and I'm so glad you're here to tell us about the winners.

Rosie

Thank you so much, Tori. Pleasure to be here and to talk about one of my favorite programs ever, America's Field Trip.

Tori

So let's remind our listeners, what is the America Field Trip Contest all about? Who can enter, and what were they asked to submit?

Rosie

Absolutely. So America's Field Trip is a national student competition from America250.org that gives students grades 3-through-12 a chance to share their perspectives on America through artwork or writing in response to the prompt, “What does America mean to you”? And we created America's Field Trip as a platform for students to express what America means to them, helping them to foster a deeper connection to their national identity.

Tori

And you had how many people entered?

Rosie

We had thousands of students from all across the country. All 56 parts of our country participated. So the 50 states, DC, and the five territories. We were overwhelmed at this year's applications. It was amazing.

Tori

That must have been so hard to try and winnow down the winners. What were you looking for?

Rosie

You know, we have an outside group of former educators who get to do the wonderful task of reviewing the submissions and really understanding the authenticity and the experiences of these students. So, we'll leave it to them to select them.

Tori

And you have 75 winners in total. Correct?

Rosie

75 first-place winners and 75 second-place winners. So the first-place winners get to participate in the field trips themselves, and then the second-place winners get cash awards.

Tori

And then there were some teachers who won some cash also. Right?

Rosie

That's right. So we have these categories of elementary, middle school, and high school. And, the students who got the highest points in each of those categories, their teacher received a thousand dollars cash.

Tori

Oh, that's great. I mean, certainly well deserved for the teachers.

Rosie

Absolutely.

Tori

Yeah. So we're going to hear from two of the winners in a bit. I can't wait to share their stories. They are amazing young people. But can you tell us a little bit about the overall winners and what they get as a prize?

Rosie

Well, so these winners get to choose from a series of backstage experiences. Most of them are with our federal agencies, and it's not just, you know, a simple tour. So, for example, I participated in some of the field trips last summer. It was amazing. It wasn't just a tour of New York, for example. You know, we had a chance to take the private boat from Manhattan on to Liberty Island. We got up to the crown of the Statue of Liberty, which doesn't happen normally on the tour. We got to walk the hallowed halls of Ellis Island. We were treated for lunch by the CEO of BNY, Robin Vince. We got to see the market stream, the trading floor of the cybersecurity command center. We ended the day at the New York Federal Reserve, getting an overview of monetary policy and then getting into the deep storage into the vault. And, you know, for many of these kids, it's their first time on a plane, first time out of state, first time on a family vacation. I had one young girl come up to me and say she felt like she won the golden ticket, except this is better than Willy Wonka. And this year, so many other field trips to choose from. We have 14 total. So, for example, the tour of New York is actually a Lower Manhattan tour and a performance and opportunity to meet the company of Hamilton in New York City. How exciting is that?

Tori

Wow.

Rosie

Yes. Along with other new ones such as the backstage tour of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and and others including tours of the Alamo, LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, Monticello in Charleston, Virginia as part of this along with the Library of Congress, a backstage tour of the National Archives Vault, and then the the Smithsonian Zoo. So plenty, plenty, plenty for these kids to choose from and experience, again, these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that never would have happened if it wasn't for this program with America 250.

Tori

And I remember I spoke to a winner last time in February and his mother, and she said one of the hardest parts because each winner gets to bring one adult. And it was so hard…to pick the one adult, you know, who would get to escort them. So that must be kind of a fun exciting part also.

Rosie

It is fun. And it's all you know, whether it's a parent, whether it's the grandparent, an uncle, an aunt, etc., that's what makes it fun. It's all about the kids. It's all about the family. And it really is kind of a way to inspire this next generation of leadership. We intentionally focused our efforts, and in this case specifically, to really kind of inspire these kids and hopefully even visualize their future. You know, for many of these kids, they probably never knew what the Federal Reserve does or never even saw what cybersecurity is or even what a financial institution like BNY, is like. And so for them, it's probably the first time they've even thought to themselves, you know, I can do that. That could be me.

Tori

America is now 249 years old, which is so exciting. And you describe America 250, obviously, as looking ahead to next year, July 4th, 2026. You probably have some really big plans coming up in the next twelve months.

Rosie

Absolutely. Lots of great plans that we started this…three years ago with America's Invitation, which is a video portal that people can send in for their memories, their ideas, etc. It's been a three-year journey to date, and yes, we have one big year left. So stay tuned. You can go to our website at america250.org and find out more about all of these programs.

Tori

I remember last time you…were very helpful in helping me pronounce the technical term. It's semiquincentennial. Is that right?

Rosie

Very good. Yes. Semiquincentennial. We don't have the benefit of a simple word like the bicentennial for 1976. So America two fifty is meant to represent, yes, all things the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Tori

Yeah. And so the way I'm at semi-quincentennial is half of 500.

Rosie

That's exactly right. Semi-quincentennial. Very good. Lots of teachable moments in here.

Tori

Yes. Exactly. Well, don't ask me to spell it. I'm not sure I'd be able to do that.

But this seems like a great way to get kids aware and mindful, and also in a kind of nonpartisan way. That's the goal of this America's Field Trip project.

Rosie

Absolutely. By law, we are mandated to be bipartisan, and we are representative across the board in our 24 commissioners…along with how we think about our programming. It's been very …focused on these three words, which is educate, engage, and unite. And so those are the three words that really kinda set the tone for our commission and for the programming that we've all unanimously approved today.

Tori

Well, this has been a great pleasure talking to you, Rosie, and good luck in a busy year ahead.

Rosie

Thank you so much. I'm so looking forward to taking the field trips this summer and meeting more amazing kids and their families. Thank you so much, Tori.

Tori

And if you want more information on the America250 effort, you can go to their website, America250.org. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we'll hear from two talented winners of this contest who will explain their inspiration for their entries and where they're going for their big field trip. I'm Tori. You're listening to Kid News Convos.

A friendly reminder that KidNuz is a nonprofit that survives and thrives on the generosity of our audience. Every penny supports the production of our regular kid-friendly news podcast five days a week. Plus, these KidNuz Convos episodes feature conversations on a single topic of interest to kids. Please consider making a donation on our website, KidNuz.org.

Welcome back to KidNuz Convos where we're hearing about America's field trip as a way to build excitement for our country's 250th birthday next year. First, we'll talk with 16-year-old Julianne from West Virginia.

Thanks for joining us, Julianne, and congratulations.

Julianne

Hi. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here.

Tori

So what was your reaction when you found out you were one of first-place winners in the America's Field Trip contest?

Julianne

So I was actually in my counselor's office, and I was picking up a hoodie because they were selling class hoodies. And my mom sends me a text and she's like, check your email. So I thought it was…maybe she sent me a picture that wouldn't send as a text or something like that. But I checked my email. I'm not kidding. I just start screaming. I start jumping up and down. I'm like, oh my god. I am so excited. And I started crying. And I went to Miss Sacks, who is my biggest supporter in my high school. She is my advisor and my US history teacher. And she has helped me every step of the way. And when I found out I was the first-place winner, I went straight to her room, and I just hugged her because I was so excited. Before I even told her, I just ran up to her and hugged her. And she's probably like, what is happening?

Tori

So was she the one who inspired you to enter this contest?

Julianne

So in the beginning, I actually was inspired to enter this contest because I was on my way home from the American Legion Oratorical Contest, which is a national speech competition. And I was like, okay. What can I do to expand my views on Americanism and what this country truly means to me? So I was just looking into essay contests, speech competitions, everything. And I found the America 250 ad on my Instagram. And then when I wanted to enter it, my teacher was like, “Absolutely, Julianne. Like, you have written some amazing essays for my class. I really think you should do it.” And she's genuinely been there for me every step of the way.

Tori

You obviously wrote about your home state. What inspired you to pick that topic?

Julianne

So I have been told my entire life since around the first grade that I should leave West Virginia. When I started to get tested for the gifted program, math field day, and doing social studies fairs, I've had teachers come up to me and be like, you're going to go somewhere with your life like New York or Texas or California. And I was like, well, why not here? Why can't I pursue these dreams in West Virginia? And they just looked at me like I had grown a third eye, I'm gonna be honest. And it was genuinely an eye-opening experience to recognize that places like mine are often viewed as underprivileged when there is really so much room for growth, and that's what the true American dream is to me.

Tori

I'd love for you to read a paragraph from it.

Julianne

Yes.

Time and again, I have watched movies and television shows that claim to depict my home only to see an exaggerated distortion. People with missing teeth, clad in overalls, and speaking in a thick, almost foreign drawl. These portrayals are far from the truth. They do not reflect my family, my friends, or the resilience, intelligence, and depth of my community. The people of Appalachia are resourceful and hardworking. They build, they innovate, and they preserve traditions that define the American spirit. Yet despite embodying the values of perseverance and self-reliance that America claims to celebrate, we are often cast aside.

Tori

Have you always enjoyed writing? Because you are an excellent writer.

Julianne

So I actually didn't write this. I am a big speaker. I've been in speech and debate since the sixth grade. So when it came to this competition, I actually used voice to text, and I gave it as if I was giving a speech…about the Appalachian opportunity and the American dream. So it just came naturally for me in that three hour ride on the way home from Michigan, and I ended up only taking about three or four hours to write my essay because I gave it in a speech format. And it was like I was talking to myself and saying how I truly felt about my area.

Tori

Where are you going on your field trip?

Julianne

Oh, I'm going to San Antonio, Texas, and I'm gonna tour the Alamo. I am so excited to learn about the American-Mexican war. I am over the moon.

Tori

Well, thank you so much for joining me on Kid News Convos. It's been great to talk with you.

Julianne

Thank you so much. It's been amazing to speak with you.

Tori

And now we're joined by another talented young lady who also won a first-place prize of a free field trip, nine-year-old Abby from Florida. Hi, Abby. Thanks for joining, and tell us your reaction when you heard you'd won.

Abby

I was so excited because I knew there was a very slim chance I would win.

Tori

And how did you hear about this contest?

Abby

My mom was looking at something online, and she saw the contest. And she thought it would be something I was interested in. So I decided to give it a go.

Tori

Could you do me a big favor and read the poem that you entered and got you the first place prize?

Abby

Yes.

I started reading biographies when I was eight.

Stories about the people who made America great.

Paul Revere's bravery and his midnight flight

taught me to help others and stand up for what's right.

Trudy Ederly, who survived the English Channel

She showed me how strong of a girl I can be.

The lesson I learned from Rosa Parks,

small simple acts can make a big mark.

Teddy Roosevelt showed me that I share the duty

of preserving our nation's parks and beauty.

The inspiring heroes in our history

make being an American so special to me.

Tori

Was it hard to write this?

Abby

I found it kinda hard to brainstorm what I was going to write about because I never really thought about what America meant to me. But then once I had thought about it and knew what I was going to write about, it was pretty easy.

Tori

And how did you learn about so much history in the U.S.?

Abby

In first grade, I had found studying biographies and I found it really interesting to learn about how people had influenced America.

Tori

And tell me where you're going on your field trip.

Abby

I'm going to Yellowstone because I'm excited to see the nature and, like, moose.

Tori

And who is getting to come with you?

Abby

My mom.

Tori

That's great. Is there anything else that you wanted to add?

Abby

I had recently watched the musical 1776, and I found it really interesting to see how the Declaration of Independence came to be in our nation, and the silly songs about the founding fathers.

Tori

So would you recommend other kids watch it as well?

Abby

Yes. I would definitely.

Tori

Well, again, thank you so much for doing this. You did a great job.

Abby

Thank you.

Tori

Enjoy your summer, Abby, and have a great time on your field trip. And thank you for listening to KidNuz Convos. We hope you enjoyed this episode on America's field trip as a way to build excitement about our country's 250th birthday, and there are some big plans for the upcoming year. You can visit america250.org for all official updates. Have a great rest of the holiday and summer vacation. We'll be back with another KidNuz Convo soon, and our regular KidNuz episodes will return on Monday, August 11. Have a great day.

To hear the interview, please listen here.