On April 5, the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce witnessed an impressive display of knowledge and passion as local middle school students tackled complex civic issues at the 2025 National Civics Bee®, held at the University of Houston-Victoria at Katy campus, 22400 Grand Circle Blvd.in Katy.

After a rigorous competition featuring challenging questions and insightful discussions, Deeptanava Roy, Rishi Tirumalasetty, and Antara Manish emerged as the top three finalists, earning the chance to compete at the state level for a shot at the national championship and a potential $100,000 college fund.

Roy, an eighth grader at Cinco Ranch Junior High whose essay explored mental health, earned $500.00 as the first-place winner. Second place winner Tirumalasetty, who is in eighth grade at Katy Junior High, received $250.00 for addressing the issue of voter disenfranchisement in Katy, while Manish, a seventh grader at Seven Lakes Junior High, was awarded $125.00 for third place for her compelling essay on community unification.

“The judges were deeply impressed by the passion and dedication of all three finalists in identifying and proposing solutions to real community challenges through civic engagement,” said Stacy Jacobs, Vice President for Business Development for the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce.

The trio will advance to the National Civics Bee Texas State Finals hosted by The School of Civic Leadership on May 17, 2025, from 1-4 pm at Crum Auditorium, McCombs School of Business in Austin. The top state winners will receive further prizes, and the first-place winner of the State Finals will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Championship in the Fall of 2025, where grand prizes include a $100,000 529 plan for first place.

The journey to the local competition began with a civics essay contest, where a panel of judges reviewed submissions to select the top 12 essay finalists who then participated in Saturday’s event. The competition featured two engaging rounds of civics questions, followed by a challenging Q&A session designed to test the depth of their civic understanding.

Other contestants included:

· Ailin Feng. Garland McMeans Junior High

· Ewurabena Yieba Mensah-Onumah, Tomball Intermediate School

· Iniya Balamurugan, Tays Junior High School

· Kiara Barman. Seven Lakes Junior High

· Matthew Vahalik, Royal STEM Academy

· Navya S, Seven Lakes Junior High School

· Remy Danz. Royal Independent School District

· Sadie Gerber, Seven Lakes Junior High

· Shanti Shristi, Adams Junior High


Judges for this year's competition were Jay Neal, Associate Vice President Academic Affairs, COO UH at Sugar Land and UH at Katy, University of Houston; Rosalyn Crain Tinnin, Professor, Government Department, Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, Lead Faculty Contact, Center for Civic Engagement, Houston Community College; and Ida Franklin, former owner of Venus Construction

The event was made possible through support from title sponsor Venus Construction and community sponsors, University of Houston and Katy Funeral Home For more information on the National Civics Bee, please visit: https://civics.uschamberfoundation.org/

About National Civics Bee®

The National Civics Bee, a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's The Civic Trust, is an annual nonpartisan competition aimed at improving civics education and literacy among middle school students,1 their families, and communities. The National Civics Bee helps elevate civics as a national priority through a network of state and local chambers across the country.