2023 High School Winners

Ella and Tammy are sophomores at Loyola Sacred Heart High School in Missoula, Montana. They found out about the World of 8 Billion contest through their Project-Based Environmental Science class when their teacher assigned it. Entering the contest was optional, but Tammy and Ella were really proud of their video so they decided to submit it! Prior to creating their video, both were aware of the growing population and gender inequalities, but they learned a lot through their research.

The inspiration for their video came from the fact that gender equality is something they are both passionate about and want to see more of in the world. Tammy said that in their research they “learned a lot about women and water,” and the negative impacts that collecting water can have on the lives of women. It was an eye-opening experience for both of them to see just how many women worldwide were impacted by this issue. They both agreed that creating their video took a lot more time than they originally expected and that it was “hard to trim things down” to get their script to under one minute. Ella’s advice for future contestants is to find “something you enjoy learning about” because then it becomes something fun to work on. They would both be interested in seeing the “tragedy of the commons” as a video topic in next year’s contest.

When it comes to extracurricular activities, both Tammy and Ella are very busy! Tammy is on her high school’s varsity cheer and tennis teams, as well as the speech and debate team, which is her main activity. She won first place in the public forum debate in the state speech and debate competition last year. Her role model is her mom because “she pushes me to be a better person everyday.” After high school, Tammy wants to study to be an engineer. Ella is on her high school’s varsity soccer team and swim team. She has been swimming for 8 years and hopes to continue the sport in college. Ella won the 200 Freestyle at this year’s state competition. She’s also a twin and grew up with all brothers, which led to her love for being outside and playing sports. When asked about her role model, Ella, stated, “My mom is one of my biggest role models. She’s a teacher and I’ve grown up seeing how kind she is to students and people.” Ella hopes to one day become a pediatric occupational therapist or a school therapist.