Niya Torres

Niya Torres is 12 years old and is a homeschooled student from Easton, Pa. Niya is so excited to be a part of Constituting America and follow in her uncles’ footsteps as a first place winner of this awesome contest. Niya is an avid performer and loves to sing and dance in musical theater productions. She also loves to express her creativity through drawing, painting, choreographing dances, sewing clothes with her aunt, and creative writing. In her spare time, when she’s not creating something, her favorite thing to do is use her imagination and play pretend with her baby cousin, Cana.

Watch Niya’s Winning PSA Below:

Our Interview With Niya

Was this the first time you entered the contest?
Yes, this is the first time I have entered the contest.

How did you hear about the contest?
I heard about the contest from the uncles because they won in the past.

What inspired your work?
I am very creative and love to use my imagination and think of things from a fantastical point of view. I read a lot of fantasy so the idea came to me very naturally.

What did you learn while creating your entry?
I broke down the first amendment so I could really compare it to the elements of the forest so it made perfect sense.

How do you plan to spread the word this year to your peers about the importance of the U.S Constitution?
I am so proud of the video I made and I’ve been showing everyone that I know and when I show them I have to explain it to them most of the time because kids my age don’t have as much of an understanding as I do so it’s been really fun!

How do your friends respond to history or talking about the Constitution?
It depends.. if they are my homeschooled friends they love hearing about history and the constitution. But if they are my regular school friends, they don’t understand and aren’t as interested once I start explaining my video.

What do you love about U.S History and the forming of our government?
I love learning about how we came to be free and about what it took to get where we are today. It’s crazy to think that other kids my age say that they want to move to a new country because I love it here!

Which U.S. historical site would you like to visit?
I would like to visit the White House.

Which American historical figure is most influential/inspirational to you?
George Washington

Who is your greatest role model?
My sister, Leianna.

What in your life are you most passionate about?
I am most passionate about performing on stage in musicals.

How do you spend your free time?
I spend my free time performing, doing arts and crafts, writing stories, drawing, and playing with my baby cousin.

What are your plans for the future?
I would like to own a cafe one day.

If you could do one super impactful thing to help people, what would it be?
I would help to educate kids my age about their first amendment rights and the Constitution.

Why is the Constitution relevant today?
The Constitution is relevant today because there are people in power that think they can control us, the citizens of the United States and if we didn’t have the constitution they would succeed in being able to.

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