Jaleaha Joseph, Shontenaisha Manuel and Jason Boudreaux, students at College Street Vocational Center in Lake Charles, are the first-prize winners in C-SPAN’s national 2022 StudentCam competition. The students will receive $3,000 for the documentary, “FEMA’s Impact on Our Lives in Southwest Louisiana.”

The documentary will air on C-SPAN at 6:50 a.m. eastern and throughout the day on April 20.

The competition, now in its 18th year, invited all middle and high school students to enter by producing a short documentary. C-SPAN, in cooperation with its cable television partners, asked students to explore a federal policy or program and address the theme: “How does the federal government impact your life?”

In response, more than 3,000 students across the country participated in the contest. C-SPAN received more than 1,400 entries from 41 states, Washington, D.C., Morocco and South Korea.

C-SPAN is funded by America’s cable television companies, who also support StudentCam. In Lake Charles, C-SPAN is available through Suddenlink, the local provider of internet, TV, home and mobile phone service.