Last fall, barely a month into his high school career, Liberty High School freshman Vlad Molchanov quietly set a goal for himself. He decided to buckle down and study for the Citizen Bee competition, held each year at the regional and then state level. He wanted to learn more about U.S. history and civics, and the competition aspect was just a bonus.

And quite the bonus it was. This month, Vlad won the whole thing, capturing the state championship in Citizen Bee and a $5,000 prize in the process. He was also recognized at the May Board of Trustees meeting.

“It still feels surreal about how I've managed to make my way up to the state competition and how I won, especially because it's my first year doing it as a freshman,” Vlad said. “I feel grateful for having such an amazing opportunity to learn more about what interests me.”

The Citizen Bee, sponsored by the State Bar of Texas Law-Related Education and the Sumners Foundation, is a civic education program and competition in which students are tested on constitutional principles, historical documents, people, events and civic values. 

Vlad entered the competition with his parents’ help, but his success was entirely self-motivated, they say. U.S. history and government are not offered as freshman-level classes, so he studied outside of school. When he wanted to register for the regional contest, his parents were shocked.

“Vlad’s journey to the state Citizen Bee competition honestly surprised our whole family because he did almost everything completely on his own,” said dad Valerii. “He asked us to buy him a few books and said, ‘Please don’t bother me when I study.’” 

After winning the Region 10 competition, Vlad advanced to state. At the state level, he had to answer written and verbal questions, where his months of preparation were put to the test. When one of his answers was marked wrong, Vlad advocated for himself, decided to appeal and won.

“As parents, this accomplishment means a lot because it came entirely from Vlad’s own motivation and discipline,” Valerii said. “Nobody pushed him to do this. He quietly set a goal for himself, worked hard for months, and achieved something truly remarkable.”

Though he’s happy to win, Vlad is humble and happy to be able to take part in competitions that focus on his interests. 

“I've always been interested in civics and U.S history because they both influence what we do and who we are everyday, whether we know it or not,” he said. “I think that everyone could get something out of studying U.S history and civics, because you can learn a lot about how to make changes happen and see how they are made.”

Congratulations, Vlad!

- Rachel McReynolds