Students share what America means to them

7/5/2026, 9:47 PM - 296 words

Faulty reasoning signals

I am a first-generation Cuban-American

with parents who went through hard struggles to give me a better life.

>> 12-year-old America Perez was named after the country that gave her family freedom.

She wrote about her parents' journey migrating from Cuba to Virginia for a contest asking young people what America means to you.

>> My name was like a way to say thank you for the amazing life this country was able to give them.

>> Perez is among 250 student winners who created poems, essays, or artwork expressing what makes the country so unique.

Rosie Rios chairs America 250, which organizes the America's Field Trip contest.

>> I would say for all the judges, there's this one theme that really comes out, which is authenticity.

So, it's really kind of these personal stories.

>> Students also demonstrated their passion for the nation's history.

Our CBS station in Phoenix sat down with three winners who created tributes with their art.

>> In the middle is the Founding Fathers signing the Declaration of Independence.

>> My art represents my gratefulness to the past and the soldiers that fought in the war for us.

>> It shows a soldier holding a small child.

I really wanted to show that even when we have moments of chaos, there can be moments of peace as well.

>> Thoughtful reflections that earned these students special recognition.

>> The amount of joy I felt was like indescribable cuz it just felt like such an importance to have and I truly put like my heart into that essay.

>> With even more to cherish as the country commemorates a milestone year.

>> That's what America means to me, everything.

>> Natalie Brand, CBS News, Washington.