LOCKWOOD — Three seniors from Lockwood High School’s Global Affairs Club not only took home top honors at the EconoQuest economic literacy competition in Bozeman but were also rewarded with a fully sponsored trip to India.
Seniors Isabel Besel, Emily Brandenburg and Laira Larson are all members of Lockwood's Global Affairs club. They learn about global issues through various projects and competitions nearly each week.
“I kind of fell in love with it, and then the year after, I kind of recruited Lara, and then this year Izzy joined," said Brandenburg.
The club is run by World History teacher Steven Hardt. Currently in his first year at the school, he was selected to continue on the club without prior experience but said his students have made the transition easy.
“I'm like, 'Is there anything I can help you with?' And they're like, 'No, we got this,' said Hardt. "I think as a teacher, that's a very rewarding thing to see kids take that self-initiative and really push and learn about something that they're passionate about.”
Their large focus each year is EconoQuest, an international economic literacy competition that asks students to present on Montana industries in relation to other countries. The event, put on by the Montana World Affairs Council, has students from schools across Montana pick industries found in the state, complete research on them, and connect them to a global trade and region. This year's focus was India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“It was just so interesting to see how they connect to things like trade and international relations," said Besel.
The girls picked the topic of semiconductors, a large industry in Montana. Within a few minutes of explaining their project, it was easy to tell just how much work was spent on it.
“They're the little chips that are in everything electronic. They're literally what power everything in our day-to-day lives. Whether it's your cell phone, which are these complex chips, or like simpler chips that might be like in a blender," said Brandenburg.
“I think it's my favorite fact that we found is like the average semiconductor chip crosses more than 70 international borders before a final product can be delivered to consumers," added Larson.
The competition was held at Montana State University in Bozeman on Oct. 28 and 29. They put together a presentation for a panel of judges, many of whom were business leaders or global leaders, like the Consul General from India, Prakash Gupta. The trio competed against 80 teams, each having five minutes to present their topics, and were evaluated after.
“They would ask us questions and kind of try to sort of poke holes in our project. It was really fun. I was really proud of us and how we did," said Besel and Larson.
Within their research, the girls found that Montana is one of the largest hubs for chip manufacturing and production, and therefore could create a strong supply chain with India. Their strong pitch helped them win the award for best in semiconductors and top prize for the whole competition.
"We all went up on stage for the final awards. [The announcer] announced second place and we found out we won, and then he announced first place and said, 'I think, without a doubt, Lockwood Team Two,' and we were like, jaw was on the floor, so shocked," said Larson. “I just think it was really like a testament to all of our hard work. We put in a lot of time to this.”
After taking second place the year before, the win was extra special. Each of them won a $1,000 scholarship to the school of their choice and would be awarded an additional $1,000 scholarship if they chose to attend MSU. However, while they thought their night of victory was over, they received more good news the next day through an email from the director of the World Affairs Council.
"It just has in the headline, 'Grand prize trip to India,' and I see this and I'm like, 'Wow, this is incredible.' I start reading through it. I have to read the email like two or three times, and then I'm like, 'All right, well, I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight because I'm gonna have to go tell these students the next morning,'" said Hardt.
The Consul General from India was so impressed with their outstanding performance, he offered to fully sponsor them for a trip to India in June. The trip would allow the students to gain firsthand insight into the industries they studied and deepen their understanding of global economic relations.
“It didn't even seem real, and we went up in a little corner to call our moms," said Larson.
For Hardt, the students’ success was the result of their passion, hard work, and deep curiosity about the world.
“It just shows that there are students out there that are really, really motivated and go above and beyond what is asked just within the classroom," said Hardt. "I just can't reiterate how proud I am and it's a much-deserved reward for those students.”
Their dedication to global topics has certainly paid off. As they look forward to their international trip, they will continue their work for their next competition, Worldquest, held at the University of Montana.
As each one is looking at different university subjects, there is no doubt that their work in the Global Affairs Club has helped shape their world fields and potential career paths. Besel wants to study astrophysics, Brandenburg is looking at double majoring in either political science and marketing or philosophy, and Larson is considering a major or minor in computer science or international global affairs.
“I really found a passion for learning how interconnected our world is like they're really in our day and age there is no way that anyone can do it alone, like we are so reliant on each other," said Larson. "I think just that awareness and that interest has been so valuable in shaping what I want to do with my future.”
"I went to this and I started listening to these people talk about human rights and all of these things going on in the world, and I was like, 'This is what I want to do,'" said Brandenburg. "These people are talking about the things that I feel so passionately about and they get to do that for their entire job, and I want to do that for my entire job."
Ultimately, the victory at EconoQuest is just one chapter in a much bigger story, one that began with curiosity and hard work and will continue as these three friends go on to make an impact on a global scale.
