Summer 2026 CFGL Winners - Young Leaders Essay Competition

The Center for Future Global Leaders, in partnership with Elite Educational Institute, invited students to exercise their leadership potential by using their written voices to say something meaningful. The essay topic for summer 2026 was: Global leaders are shaped by experiences that challenge their assumptions and expand their understanding of others. In your own words, describe a moment that challenged your beliefs or assumptions. How did this experience impact your actions, relationships, or future aspirations as a leader?

Thank you to everyone who participated, and congratulations to the winners!

NATIONAL AWARDS

National | 1st Place
Kira Krainenko

National | 2nd Place
Matthew Lee

National | 3rd Place
Dylan Yang

REGIONAL AWARDS

Regional | 1st Place
Ali Shiravi

Regional | 2nd Place
John Kim
Saachi Heer
Angela Xue

Regional | 3rd Place
Rachel Nast
Hikaru Ikarashi

DIVISIONAL AWARDS

Divisional | 1st Place
Mackenzie Will
Yenna An

Divisional | 2nd Place
Neha Subhash
Jane Kang
Allison Sander

Divisional | 3rd Place
Yesuh Yang
Tien Nguyen
Gunnar Turner
Samantha Cho
Natalie Kim
Max Liu

Divisional | Honorable Mention
Jason Do
Annelysse Tran
Nikhil Rangachar
Colin Kintajaya
Rachel Melamed