Northwood students earn Stossel in the Classroom contest honors
Two Northwood University students excelled in this year’s Stossel in the Classroom essay and video contests.
“This is a remarkable achievement for Northwood University students,” explained Northwood Economics Professor Alex Tokarev. “This honor reflects their dedication, creativity, and deep understanding of economic principles. This recognition celebrates their hard work and underscores the exceptional education they receive at Northwood.”
Rizza Carmina Cabrera, an international student from Quezon City in The Philippines, emerged as the champion in the college video contest. Cabrera’s video delves into the potential repercussions of federal goals to achieve a 100% carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035. Cabrera presents a unique viewpoint, highlighting the threat this transition poses to existing jobs in the oil and coal industries and the impracticality of renewable energy in certain climates.
“I suggest allowing consumers to choose their energy sources for private properties,” explains Cabrera in the video, which can be viewed here. “This could involve a personalized mix of green and fossil fuels, based on individual preferences. However, to ensure stability, it is recommended that the federal government and major industries continue to operate with fossil fuels.”
Alexander Noel Tokarev, of Midland, was a finalist in the high school essay contest. Tokarev, the son of Dr. Tokarev, is enrolled at Northwood University through dual enrollment.
“My essay examines the goals of the current U.S. energy policy,” explained Noel Tokarev. “It presents the tradeoffs between those targets and the concerns of the consumer for affordability and reliability. The essay concludes with a recommendation to let the consumers decide what energy sources private companies use.”
Noel Tokarev said he found inspiration to write about this topic from presentations from this year’s Northwood University Freedom Seminar and research by the McNair Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
Stossel in the Classroom is a teaching series that features John Stossel, a pundit and former journalist who came to prominence as an anchor on ABC’s 20/20. He then moved on to host the weekly show, “STOSSEL,” on Fox Business Channel.
The Stossel in the Classroom series focuses on economics, civics, liberty and free markets. It is sponsored by the Center for Independent Thought.
“Northwood students have won several prizes over the past six years, as producing Stossel in the Classroom videos are graded assignments in most of my classes,” Tokarev explained. “However, this is the first time we have had a student win first place!”
You can view the entire list of Stossel in the Classroom college, middle, and high school winners at https://stosselintheclassroom.org/winners/.