Eden Prairie High School sophomore Sasha Allen is an honorable mention winner in C-SPAN’s national 2022 StudentCam competition.
Allen will receive $250 for her short video documentary, “Something in the Water: When Will the Federal Government Regulate PFAS?”
Narrated by Allen, the documentary is about 6 minutes long and focuses on the dangers of forever chemicals called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Allen describes in her documentary how PSAS have been “silently but surely polluting our air, soil and bodies” since the 1940s.
According to the documentary, PFAS are oil, stain and water-repellant chemicals used to make non-stick pans, outdoor gear, firefighter film, and medical supplies. Tests show that PFAS are present in 98 percent of humans.
“Despite the federal government knowing about the risks of PFAs, today the safe drinking water still has no enforceable limits on PFAS,” Allen states.
Last year, Allen was awarded the grand prize (including $6,000) in the Lowell Milken Center (LMC) for Unsung Heroes’ 2021 Discovery Award competition. She used primary and secondary research to create the documentary “Walking in the Land of Death: How Gareth Jones Gave Voice to the Victims of the Holodomor.”
You can see the complete documentary video on YouTube.
Sasha and her brother, Nico, won awards last spring at the 2021 National History Day Contest.
The StudentCam competition, now in its 18th year, invited all middle and high school students to enter by producing a short documentary. In cooperation with its cable television partners, C-SPAN asked students to explore a federal policy or program and address the theme: How does the federal government impact your life?
In response, more than 3,000 students participated in the contest. C-SPAN received over 1,400 entries.
More than 300 students from across the country are winning $100,000. C-SPAN awards one grand prize, four first prizes, 16 second prizes, 32 third prizes and 97 honorable mention prizes. These winning videos will receive cash awards of $5,000, $3,000, $1,500, $750 and $250, respectively.
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