Academic UIL is taking place in CFISD on March 26 and 27, at Bridgeland High School. Students who will be participating in this year’s Academic UIL will be greeted with a variety of contests used to perfect and demonstrate their skills for a chance to be recognized in Regional and State competitions. 

Subjects students can compete in include Journalism, Language Arts, Social Studies, Speech and Debate, STEM and Theatre. According to the official UIL website, these competitions are designed to motivate students as they acquire higher levels of knowledge.

“I competed in both Number Sense and Science UIL,” Senior Phuong Tran said. “It was eye opening to see the types of problems that I wouldn’t see in school. It gave me reason to believe that there’s much more for me to learn and master.”

Another reason these contests were created was to give students a platform to showcase their skills, and even be awarded for them. 

“I had medaled sixth in Science overall,” Tran said. “This came as a shock to me, since I didn’t believe in my own abilities before. Therefore, it made me realize that I’m more capable than I had initially thought.”

Besides medals, trophies and more confidence in their academic abilities, students who participate in Academic UIL are able to gain scholarship opportunities.

“Students who participate in academic UIL qualify for scholarships,” Academic Achievement Specialist Wanda Wright said. “The amount of the scholarship increases as they advance from District to Regional to State. The scholarships range from $500 for one year to $20,000 over four years.”

 Junior Daisy Bustos is hoping to gain some scholarships from her performance in this year’s Academic UIL. However, in order to do so, Bustos has to strengthen her abilities.

“I’m participating in Literary Criticism and Persuasive Speaking,” Bustos said. “For the most part, I have to read some pieces of literature such as The Great Gatsby, The Tragic Death of Macbeth, and a selection of poems. In preparation for Literary Criticism, I’ve been taking in depth notes of each piece, and taking my time to understand the context and literary terms behind them. As for Persuasive, I plan on honing my public speaking as well as working under a set time limit. Overall, I’m just mentally preparing myself.”