Diane S. Sykes: “today, I rise to recognize Aarit Koul as the champion of the week for Ohio's 13th Congressional District. Aarit, a…”

“today, I rise to recognize Aarit Koul as the champion of the week for Ohio's 13th Congressional District. Aarit, a freshman at Jackson High School, recently won the 2025 National Civics Bee. He competed against finalists from 38 other States in five rounds, including one in which he presented a societal problem and offered his suggestions for solving it. Aarit discussed the healthcare system in the United States, timely and appropriate, especially considering our current state of affairs. With this win comes a $100,000 college fund, which will go a long way to help him attend his dream school, Yale University. Aarit aspires to become a lawyer and ultimately land an appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time I have come to the floor to recognize Aarit's talents, nor is it the second. This is actually the third time Aarit has been recognized before this body. In 2023, he was the Congressional App Challenge Winner for Ohio's 13th District when he was in middle school. His app, Care Civics, was designed to encourage young people to become civically engaged. He was inspired by his time studying for the Ohio Civics Bee, which he went on to win in 2024. Now, just a high school freshman, he has come out on top at the national level, and I could not be more proud.”