Chamber Business NewsArizona has a champion headed to Washington, D.C., and he’s bringing three years of preparation, a passion for civics and a few ideas about making housing more affordable.
Shaurya Arora, Arizona’s state Civics Bee champion, will represent the Grand Canyon State at the National Civics Bee, where he’ll test his knowledge alongside other state champions.
For Arora, the trip is both a competitive opportunity and a chance to find his people.
“I’m very excited about going to Washington, D.C., and being able to meet other people who share a passion about civics, just like me,” he said.
His road to the national stage began in sixth grade, when his parents learned about the competition. Already interested in history and civics, Arora saw an opportunity to take those interests beyond the classroom.
He entered, kept studying and kept coming back. This year, that persistence paid off with a state championship.
A community issue becomes a civics project
The competition involves more than knowing the right answers. Arora’s submission for the essay portion of the contest explored an issue he had noticed affecting people around him: housing affordability.
Rising home prices, mortgage rates and limited housing supply caught his attention. So did the consequences for families trying to find a stable place to live or achieve the dream of homeownership.
His research examined Arizona’s response to the issue and ways he could help, from volunteering with housing assistance organizations to working with city agencies and councils to support vulnerable families.
The assignment gave him a chance to connect his interest in government with a practical community challenge.
“I wasn’t very educated on this topic, and I learned a lot,” he said.
That same topic will travel with him to nationals, where his original essay carries forward.
Keeping cool when the questions get tough
Arora is quick to say that the Civics Bee requires serious preparation.
Over three years, he has used study guides, online learning resources and his own notes to build his knowledge. His advice: Read carefully, remember what you’ve learned and do more than skim.
On competition day, he concentrated on processing each question and answering within the time limit, keeping nerves from interfering with his thinking.
That didn’t mean he felt certain of victory. Scoreboard updates came every 10 questions, and after the multiple-choice portion, he believed he had fallen behind.
“I wasn’t really sure about getting first place,” he said.
But the competition wasn’t over. By the end, Arizona had its champion—and Arora had a trip to Washington to prepare for.
With school back in session, Arora has been balancing classwork with preparations for nationals. He’s returning to his civics studies with an eye toward the bigger stage ahead.
The trip will also include a tour of important Washington sites, adding a chance to see some of the places connected to the subjects he has spent years studying.
And yes, he has thought about what it would be like to win the whole thing.
“It would be very cool to win the whole competition,” he said.
For now, he’s sticking with the approach that got him this far: steady preparation and a willingness to keep learning.
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