After seeing his students’ remarkable achievements both inside and outside the classroom, Matt Silvia thought they could make a real difference by entering the IWitness Video Challenge. And he was right. Silvia’s students at Chicago’s Walter Payton College Preparatory Alana Chandler, Yu Jing Chen and Natalia Wang are the grand prize winners of the 2017 IWitness Video Challenge for their video “Who Are You? Embracing Identity in Our Community.”

The grand prize winner of the 2017 IWitness Video Challenge, by Yu Jing Chen, Alana Chandler and Natalia Wang of Walter Payton College Preparatory, Chicago. The project inspires students to illustrate and share the various traits that make up their identities.

Second place winner of the 2017 IWitness Video Challenge. By Acadia Grantham

Third place winner of the 2017 IWitness Video Challenge. By Shayna Kantor

A group of students from Chicago who inspired their fellow students to embrace each other’s unique identity has won the 2017 IWitness Video Challenge sponsored by USC Shoah Foundation.