EXCLUSIVE | Future Wyoming Catholic College student wins inaugural Presidential 1776 Award

Miriam Washut, winner of the inaugural patriotic scholarship from the U.S. Department of Education, said months of studying America's founding documents gave her a new appreciation for the ideas that shaped the nation and strengthened her faith as she relied on God throughout the scholarship competition.

In an July 1 interview with Zeale News, Washut, who will attend Wyoming Catholic College (WCC) in 2027, said one of the greatest lessons from the competition was realizing "how much God loves [her]," adding that He was "always there” as she advanced.

The Presidential 1776 Award for Civics, established by the U.S. Department of Education as part of the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary celebration, tested high school students' knowledge of America's founding through written and oral examinations. More than 8,000 students nationwide entered the competition, with 20 finalists advancing to the June 9 national championship at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where Washut won the top $150,000 scholarship.

Washut said she entered the competition after her father came across it on social media and encouraged her to participate.

"I've always kind of liked American history,” Washut told Zeale News, “so I thought, 'Why not do it?'"

Her father, Father Deacon Kyle Washut, president of WCC and a Byzantine Catholic, told Zeale News he was "over the moon" to see his daughter earn the competition's top honor, adding that it also gives others a chance to learn more about the college.

“We've always thought Wyoming Catholic College is a great school,” he said, “and it's great for everyone else to get this opportunity to see how great it is."

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Father Deacon Washut said preparing for the competition required Miriam to study "thousands and thousands of pages of original source documents" spanning centuries of political thought.

He said it was “a privilege” to watch his daughter spend countless hours studying America's founding as he saw her appreciation for the nation deepen along the way.

Washut said she looks forward to attending WCC because of its emphasis on reading original texts, saying the competition demonstrated “how different it is to read what was actually written by the people who were there.”

She said the primary sources were enlightening.

"Honestly,” she told Zeale News, “I think it's just incredible to actually read the firsthand sources because you can see the arc of development. … You can see how the ideas develop.”

Washut said tracing the development of those ideas helped her realize the founders built upon centuries of political thought rather than developing their ideas in isolation.

"I think it's really cool to appreciate that it wasn't just something people sat down and thought, 'Hey, this is a fun idea. Let's try it,’” she said. “There was some really solid basis for it. They were going off real experiences but also fine-tuning and improving them."

Reflecting on the competition, Washut said she experienced the comfort of the saints' intercession as she advanced through each stage.

"All my saints were there," and "it just felt so real," she remarked.

She said she had especially sought the intercession of St. Joseph of Cupertino, the patron saint of students and test takers, before competing.

Looking ahead to America's 250th anniversary, Washut told Zeale News she hopes Americans take time to consider the gift of freedom, saying that "it's easy to take it for granted because we've had it for 250 years."