Grace Liu first developed an interest in academic research in middle school. But she soon learned that most extracurricular research programs were expensive and out of reach for many students.
Liu, a student at Syosset High School on Long Island, set out to change all of that.
Now, Liu has received the $5,000 second prize in the Bill of Rights Institute’s national MyImpact Challenge for creating Research to Empower (ReTE), a nonprofit that makes free research training available to all students, especially underrepresented populations.
The Bill of Rights Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that teaches civics and history through market-leading curricula and educational programs for teachers and students.
Through its MyImpact Challenge civic engagement contest, the Bill of Rights Institute encourages students to develop service projects that benefit their communities and advance constitutional principles such as liberty, equality, and justice. More than 400 students from every corner of America participated in this year’s MyImpact Challenge.
“Every young mind deserves the opportunity to discover their passion, develop critical thinking skills, unleash their innate creativity, initiate research projects, and apply their knowledge to address real-world needs in their community,” Liu wrote in her MyImpact Challenge essay.
ReTE offers free in-person and virtual classes and resources to help students develop research skills. The organization has conducted events reaching 41 school districts in 21 countries since 2022, and continues to work extensively within the Long Island community.
Along the way, ReTE has received support from companies like Google and Microsoft, and Liu received a Daily Point of Light Award from Points of Light, a foundation started by former President George H.W. Bush focused on volunteerism.
David Bobb, the president and CEO of the Bill of Rights Institute, said that MyImpact Challenge is helping students nationwide apply their civic knowledge to connect with their communities and develop vital citizenship skills.
“Civic education should not be confined to the four walls of a classroom,” Bobb said. “Through MyImpact Challenge, students are putting their skills and knowledge to work to improve their communities, solve local problems, and take the first steps toward a lifetime of civic engagement.”
The Bill of Rights Institute awarded nearly $40,000 in student and teacher prizes through this year’s MyImpact Challenge.