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Sacramento-area students win trips to national landmarks in semiquincentennial contest
What does America mean to you?
Two Sacramento-area students won a national competition for their answers to that question as part of the build-up to next year's celebrations of the nation's 250th anniversary.
Mélanie Golé, who just finished fourth grade in Rancho Cordova, and Evelyn Bravo, who completed tenth grade in Sacramento, were among the 75 first-place winners of the 'America's Field Trip' contest, the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, known as America250, announced on Wednesday.
Each of the contest participants — who numbered in the thousands, according to the commission — submitted art or writing in the spring. Now, each winner will travel to one place on a menu of national landmarks, ranging from Mount Rushmore to the Angel Island Immigration Station in Marin County.
Golé, who attends Riverview STEM Academy, painted the Statue of Liberty standing atop two layers — a foundation of Americans in different professions and historical figures including Ruth Bader Ginsburg and George Washington.
'I chose the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of our country and its freedom because it was a gift from France to the United States,' Mélanie said. 'So it also shows friendship and our strength working with other countries.'
Her father is from France, and her mother, Sabrina Abbott, explained that the family maintains dual American and French citizenship.
Mélanie said she used paint, oil pastel, marker and colored pencil for the composition.
'She worked on it for a long time,' Abbott said. 'She would have to walk away, come back another day, work on it.'
Evelyn Bravo, who attends Las Flores High School's virtual study, submitted an essay for the contest after her older sister, Aiyana, was one of last year's winners. The contest will also be held next year before July 4, 2026, 250 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
Evelyn said she wrote about her multiracial identity — her mother being Black and white, her father Mexican — to illustrate that 'you can be from a different place and still be part of America.'
She also wrote about her passion for crocheting, which she is trying to turn into a business.
'Since America thrives off of business owners, I want to be a business owner myself,' she said.
This year, California has the most first-place winners of any state, with 11 — four more than the next state, New Jersey.
More information about the celebration and contest can be found at
