2025 Middle School Winners

Alisha Wald is in the 8th grade at Mandela International Magnet School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The video contest was assigned in her world geography class as a way to dig deeper into the impacts a growing population has on the world. She decided to submit her video to the World of 8 Billion competition because she put a lot of effort into it and was proud of what she created. Rainforest ecosystems are interesting to her because she noticed how the rainforest in front of her grandparents house in Malaysia has been increasingly replaced by apartment buildings and she found this disheartening. Alisha was aware that with more people there’s an increased demand for land, resources, and food which can lead to deforestation and pollution, but she was surprised to learn how much deforestation is linked to climate change.

The contest “sparked [Alisha’s] interest in environmental values and video creation.” This wasn’t the first video contest she had participated in; she also participated in a competition in 5th grade on climate mitigation. She knew she would need to do more research to be successful in this competition and appreciated the way her teacher structured the class assignment for unpacking what they learned. Within class she was able to curate meaningful facts from her research and brainstorm possible solutions. Alisha also wanted to use data to amplify her video’s message and in her math class worked on creating meaning out of the data she found. Narrowing all the information into a concise one-minute was the most difficult part of the process. Alisha’s advice for future participants is to use your strengths to your advantage and share what you are passionate about. She also shared that “it is more meaningful when you have actual numbers and real facts. Having data can make your overall message better.”

Alisha enjoys playing soccer and the clarinet. She recently won six awards at the New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair including first place in the Junior Division for Physics and Astronomy and the Grand Award for Physical Science. She also won an honorable mention last year in the Leopold Writing Contest. She is the youngest of three and credits her interest in engineering, aerospace, and the environment from her father who is a nuclear and electrical engineer. She wants to “pursue a job that allows her to protect the environment whether directly or indirectly. Whether it is through science, politics or creative work like creating videos, I want to make a difference in the world.” In particular, she hopes to pursue a military career with an emphasis in a technical field because of the discipline, strength, and courage required. She plans on saving her winnings to attend military school or another university.