38th Annual College Video Contest Winners 

NEW YORK, NY - May 8th, 2026 - Today, The Christophers announce the winners of their 38th Annual Video Contest for College Students, in which entrants were asked to create a film or video that communicates the belief that one person can make a difference. This year’s contest drew entries from colleges all across the United States, covering a wide variety of philanthropic organizations, as well as the pursuit of unique individualized talents/interests (i.e. water and wildlife conservation, online content creation, robotics/engineering, etc.). As Sarah E. Holinski, The Christophers’ Youth Coordinator, noted, “The amount of effort and compassion these young people have demonstrated is nothing short of exemplary. Whether it’s shedding light on the cruelty of animal testing for the Beagle Freedom Project utilizing stop-motion animation, or combating body dysmorphia by starting a health and fitness club to educate their fellow classmates, these winners are living proof that one person truly can change the world, one small step at a time.”

            In her first-place award winning film aptly titled “From Silence to Smiles,” Elementary Education major Chloe O’Loughlin illustrates how even the simple act of inviting people to look up from their screens and play a board game, as Chloe’s younger brother does at the beginning of this video, can have a profound impact on those around you. As Chloe’s house fills with more family members of various ages, the joy and appreciation that enters along with them is evident as well. The O’Loughlins then go on to cook and share a meal together, even saying a prayer of thanksgiving while holding hands before they eat. With many hands to pitch in to clean up afterwards, there is even time for the adults to gather around the fire pit later that evening, while the youngsters splash around in the backyard’s heated jacuzzi.

            While this film contains no dialogue, only an uplifting song accompanied by an acoustic guitar playing in the background, the message of O’Loughlin’s video is clear, which is that life is not meant to be watched from the sidelines, but rather experienced with those you love. The video then ends with this thought-provoking reminder printed across the screen: “Connection starts with a choice.” As O’Loughlin, who attends Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado, so wisely observes in the written submitted description of her film, “One intentional choice transformed isolation into connection, proving that a single person can truly make a difference—no matter how big or small.”

            If there is one person who would wholeheartedly agree with O’Loughlin’s emphasis on the importance of human connection when it comes to making a difference, that person would be our second prize winner, college freshman Kennedy Cordle. A Construction Management major at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, Cordle’s list of philanthropic activities certainly runs the gamut, from volunteering with the Brick-by-Brick organization in Antigua, Guatemala, to working as an engineering apprentice at the Kids Museum in her home state of North Carolina.

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            “Guatemala reinforced two principles that guide my life,” Cordle explained in her film “One Person Can Make a Difference,” as pictures and live action footage of her own mission work in Antigua play across the screen. “The first is accountability with compassion. Showing up means working hard, but also understanding that lived realities of others…Standing in that reality, I felt small. I couldn’t fix the economy…or stop volcanoes from erupting. But I could show up…and…help build something that mattered.”

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            “I helped to create a managed, stable farm,” Cordle recalled as the images and videos onscreen silently backed up her words, “—a place designed to grow food, while restoring health to the land… and contributed to something the community could sustain from, long after I left.”  This memory segued perfectly into Cordle’s description of the second guiding principle that now defines her life—access.

            “Access is a form of power,” Kennedy maintained in one of the brief interspersed scenes where she is seated facing the camera to address her audience directly. “—access to food, access to clean water, access to education…I saw how something as simple as sustainable food could create…hope for families. I’ve seen how access to STEM education can change how young people see themselves and their futures.”

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            “In the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps, where I served as Chief Petty Officer and company commander,” Cordle continued, “I learned how to lead with discipline, accountability and service…Each of these experiences has taught me the same lesson in different ways: change happens when someone decides to step forward.”

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            Our third-place video contest winner, Michigan native and Bay de Noc Community college student Henry Strom, pays tribute to one such empathetic and proactive individual who chose to take that significant first step towards positive change, namely his younger sister, Emma Strom. In his prize-winning film fittingly named “My Sister Has Made a Difference,” Henry chronicles how two years ago, at just 15-years-old, Emma started her own nonprofit called Senior Crafting Connections.

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            “Starting a nonprofit at 15 isn’t simple,” Strom narrates, as the logo of Senior Crafting Connections appears on a blue screen, consisting of a pair of gold scissors with a needle and thread, extending into a double circle, with the name of the nonprofit written across the top, and “Established 2024” printed below. “She [Emma] had to ask adults to take her seriously in meetings and partnerships, and she had to navigate finances and organization in a rural area [the Upper Peninsula of Michigan], without easy access to mentors or large fundraising networks. But, she did it anyway.”

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            “I wanted to tie community outreach into something I really loved doing, which has always been crafting,” president and co-founder Emma Strom explained in a short voiceover interview with her brother, as pictures of the seniors and volunteers creating together, (among which included Henry), are shown onscreen. “…And we [she and their parents] kind of decided on something that would help specifically the seniors in our community, because they are a demographic that is very commonly overlooked…I’m very happy to be doing what I love, while also helping others.”

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            “Watching my sister leading this effort has inspired me personally,” Henry concluded. “Seeing her step up at 15 showed me age doesn’t define your ability to lead—your heart does. Her work motivated me to volunteer more, to be involved, and to realize that making a difference doesn’t require waiting until you’re older…And sometimes, all it takes to make a difference is a craft table, a conversation, and the courage to start.”

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For 81 years, we at The Christophers have sought to spread Father James Keller’s message that, so long as your heart is in the right place, whether at home in your own backyard or volunteering abroad, even one kind word or gesture has the power to change someone’s life for the better. This year and every year, we are proud to recognize so many noteworthy individuals, who have made such a profound difference in the lives of others—one word, one thoughtful mission, one shining candle at a time.