Help me go to Washington D.C. for Nationals!

Hi, my name is Celeste and I’m currently a junior at Fairview High School. I have been working hard these past months and have won first place in the school, regional, and state competition for my National History Day project titled "The Thalidomide Disaster.” All these accomplishments have led me to be selected to compete in the national competition amongst 2,000+ people from around the world in Washington, D.C.

This is a crazy accomplishment for me and I can’t believe I’ve made it this far. I’ve been working on my project since Fall of 2024 since my AP US History class announced it.

The process was extremely tedious, but all my hard work has payed off in ways I am so grateful for. I am so excited to go compete at the national competition and I’m trying to raise the funds to make it happen. I would be so grateful for any support!

I’m so excited to have this experience. Only two people from each category get to move on to Nationals from State. I will be representing the State of Colorado!

I will even get to meet with our State Senators in their Senate offices.

For those who don’t know about National History Day, it is an annual project based competition for students in grades 6-12 and receives entries from all 50 states. My mom describes it to people as “...like the Science Fair but for history.” More than half a million students have participated in National History Day this year alone, but only a select amount will make it on to nationals. This process has been both really fun and extremely challenging because I’ve had to stay up many late nights creating my exhibit, writing the accompanying papers and practicing my interviews. And even though it’s been difficult at times I am so happy I have experienced really getting to know a subject in this way. I feel like in the last months I have become an expert on the topic of Thalidomide, and I am excited to share my knowledge of it.

For those who don’t know, here is a little background on Thalidomide, and the disaster that took place. The thalidomide disaster was a major medical tragedy in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Thalidomide was originally marketed in West Germany as a safe over-the-counter sedative and treatment for morning sickness in pregnant women. However, it was later discovered that it caused severe birth defects in children. Thousands of babies around the world were born with malformed limbs and other serious health problems after their mothers took thalidomide during pregnancy. The disaster affected over 10,000 children in more than 40 countries and exposed major flaws in drug testing and approval processes. It led to stricter drug regulations, especially regarding safety testing during pregnancy. The drug is still used under strict controls to treat certain conditions, like leprosy and multiple myeloma, but the tragedy remains a powerful reminder of the importance of rigorous drug testing.

Thank you so much for supporting my journey of representing Colorado and competing in this years National History Day Competition!