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A Floris Elementary School student will travel to Cape Canaveral this summer after her poem celebrating American diversity earned first place in a nationwide contest.

Fifth-grader Isabel Theodore of Herndon was one of 250 students recognized earlier this month through America’s Field Trip, a competition marking the nation’s 250th birthday. Students in grades three through 12 submitted writing and artwork explaining what America means to them.

Isabel was among 125 first-place winners for “America: The Home of the World,” a poem she developed with help from a writing coach. It portrays Americans of different races, religions, appearances and perspectives finding unity while appreciating the country’s landmarks and natural beauty.

Having lived in Washington state and California before moving to Virginia, Isabel said the variety of people she encountered inspired her focus on diversity.

Her prize is an immersive trip to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, where she will receive a behind-the-scenes experience and meet an astronaut. Isabel said she once dreamed of becoming an astronaut because of her interest in rockets and space. She is especially excited to ask astronauts what life beyond Earth is like.

Isabel learned about the competition from her mother, Naveena Govindasamy, who discovered it on social media. Govindasamy thought the contest would give her daughter, already a strong writer, an opportunity to express her ideas and interests.

America250, the nonpartisan initiative created by Congress to oversee programs commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, organized the contest. More than 20,000 entries have been submitted since the competition began as a pilot program in 2024.

A panel of current and former teachers selected winners representing all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories.

First-place students were honored last week during a reception in Washington attended by members of Congress and other dignitaries. Each received a trip to one of 16 destinations, ranging from the American Village in Alabama to historic sites in the Washington area, including the Library of Congress and George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Second-place winners received $500 and America250 merchandise.

Beyond the Cape Canaveral trip, Isabel said the contest strengthened her poetry and general writing abilities. Completing the poem helped her find inspiration more readily and improve her rhyming skills.