2021 Contest Winners

This winning entries in the 2021 EngineerGirl Writing Contest all salute engineering’s role in meeting and defeating the challenges presented by COVID-19.

Elementary School (Grades 3-5)

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Madeleine Gamson-Knight

5th grade at Chabot Elementary School (Oakland, CA)

The Creative Mindset


First Place

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Nitya Parakala

4th grade at Williams Elementary School (San Jose, CA)

Engineers on the Battlefield


Second Place

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Mohammad Khair Allah

5th grade at Prairie Lane Elementary School (Omaha, NE)

Engineers Fight COVID-19


Third Place (tied)

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Yashvi Sharma

5th grade at Auten Road Intermediate School (Hillsborough, NJ)

Tribute to the contributions of engineers in the COVID-19 pandemic


Third Place (tied)

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Anya Pathak

5th grade at Greenville Elementary School (Scarsdale, NY)

The Mask of the Future - Kids Edition


Honorable Mention

Other Finalists

How Robot Engineers Help with COVID-19 by Caleb S.
4th grade (Boston, MA)

Engineering A Path Forward by Lakshya Venkatesan
4th grade at Memorial Elementary School (Laurence Harbor, NJ)

Everyday Engineers by Mia S.
Valley Christian Elementary School (San Jose, CA)

How Engineers Have Helped Us With COVID-19 by Alexis
3rd grade (Mesa, AZ)

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Vivian Foutz

6th grade at Joseph T. Henley Middle School (Charlottesville, VA)

Engineering Resilience


First Place

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Grace Bartels

8th grade at Holly Grove Middle School (Holly Springs, NC)

Engineering the Future


Second Place

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Janaisha James

8th grade at Robert E. Howard Middle School (Orangeburg, SC)

Thank You: A Blog Post to Engineers Around The World


Third Place

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Lynley Janovich

8th grade at Beadle Middle School (Omaha, NE)

Importance of Engineering


Honorable Mention

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Hannah Brady

8th grade at E.T. Richardson Middle School (Springfield, PA)

Engineers from Across the Globe Create Solutions for COVID-19


Honorable Mention

Other Finalists

Engineers and their contributions to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by Aarit Atreja
6th grade at Primoris Academy (Wyckoff, NJ)

Engineer Girl Essay by Sophia Gulyayeva
6th grade at I.S. 98 Bay Academy (Brooklyn, NY)

3 Ways Engineers Have Helped During This Pandemic by Shreya Gangla
8th grade at Iron Horse Middle School (San Ramon, CA)

Software engineers: the heroes behind the computer screens during the pandemic by Andrew Lian
8th grade at Sartartia Middle School, Sugar Land, TX (Sugar Land, TX)

Engineers and COVID-19 by Ava Haddad
Elwood Middle School (East Northport, NY)

A Look Inside the Impact of Engineers During the Pandemic by Blanche Li
7th grade at Diablo Vista Middle School (Danville, CA)

Biomedical Engineering At It's Best by Andrew Belovsky
The Bay Academy (Brooklyn, NY)

A Battle against a Pandemic by Shreyas Bulusu
8th grade at Gateway Middle School (Bothell, WA)

Customizers of the World: Engineers by Aditi Nair
7th grade at Eleanor Fallon Middle School, Dublin CA (Dublin, CA)

High School (Grades 9-12)

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Siena Lee

11th grade at Asia Pacific International School (Seoul, South Korea)

Together in Solidarity


First Place

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Sadie Bograd

12th grade at Dunbar High School (Lexington, KY)

Finding Solutions Amidst Scarcity: Engineering During the COVID-19 Pandemic


Second Place

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Mandy Zhang

11th grade at Walter Payton College Prep (Chicago, IL)

An Engineer's Journey of Electrifying our Fight Against COVID-19


Third Place

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Sofia Eisenberg

9th grade at Richard Montgomery High School (Bethesda, MD)

Collaboration & Creativity: The Crucial Role of Engineers Fighting The COVID-19 Pandemic


Honorable Mention

Salute to Engineering contest winner

Anne Christiono

9th grade at William P. Clements High School (Sugar Land, TX)

The Badger Shield: From Fighting the Pandemic Locally to Protecting the World


Honorable Mention

Other Finalists

Female Engineers Leading the Fight Against COVID-19 by Taya Maharaj
11th grade (NY)

A Salute to Engineers: Their Role in Closing the Growing Wage Gap by Amareah Bead
11th grade at Indian Creek School (Crownsville, MD)

Engineering Innovation Saves Lives by Gracelin G.
12th grade at Homeschool (Medina, OH)

Engineering A Response to The COVID-19 Pandemic by Vedika Amin
9th grade at Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter, NH)

Rising to the Challenge: Engineers’ Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic by Laurelyn Harris
12th grade at Mid-Buchanan RV (Faucett, MO)

Mobilizing engineering and creating opportunity from crisis by Aroshi Ghosh
11th grade at Leland High School (San Jose, CA)