Student from Staten Island Chamber’s Civics Bee Wins State Competition
On Friday, May 30th, Victoria Figliolia, an 8th grader at Staten Island Academy, won the state competition for the 2025 National Civics Bee. Competing against eight other middle schoolers from across New York State, Victoria took home the top prize of $1,000 and will be moving on to the national competition later this year.
The National Civics Bee is a one-of-its-kind competition that allows middle school students to flex their civic knowledge and compete for cash prizes. The National Civics Bee is a national program hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation spanning across nearly every state to civically engage middle schoolers. The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce first took on the program last year in partnership with the Office of the Borough President, aiming to motivate Staten Island students to speak out about the issues that affect their communities.
To participate in the National Civics Bee, students must submit an essay on a civic topic of their choice. We received over 115 essays from students across Staten Island, and of those 115 essays, 20 students were chosen to move forward at the local competition in Staten Island. From the local competition, three students were selected to move on to the state competition.
At the state competition this past Friday, hosted by the Business Council of New York State at the Albany Capital Center, nine students competed for a spot at the national competition. Robert Kasegrande, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Vivian Chen, I.S. 2, and Victoria Figliolia, Staten Island Academy, represented Staten Island at the state competition and all moved on to the final round, passionately delivering speeches on littering, street safety, and eating disorders.
Victoria wowed the judges with her in-depth knowledge of the adverse effects of eating disorders on the Staten Island community, citing multiple solutions and a horde of local organizations that will get behind her cause. Congratulations to Victoria on her incredible win, and we’re excited to cheer her on at nationals later this year!
This remarkable accomplishment marks the second significant victory for the Chamber's collaboration with Staten Island's local schools in under a month. On May 3rd, Staten Island Tech sophomore Anna Lau placed first in the national Young Entrepreneurs Academy competition.
