Students at the ACT-SO awards ceremony
Provided by Prince William NAACP
Local students are headed to Chicago this summer after winning gold medals at the Prince William Area NAACP’s 5th Annual Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological & Science Olympics (ACT-SO) Competition at Colgan High School. They will advance to the National ACT-SO Competition July 15 to 19, 2026, held in conjunction with the 117th NAACP National Convention from July 18 to 22, 2026.
Local gold medal winners advancing to nationals are:
- Gabriel Hamilton, a junior at Osbourn Park High School, in Original Essay;
- Michelle Marfo, a senior at Osbourn Park High School, in Mathematics;
- Corbyn Person, a junior at Colgan High School, in Music – Instrumental Contemporary;
- Marcus Manderson, a Prince William County homeschooled senior studying through A Beka Academy, in Short Story;
- Nariah Wicker, a senior at Christ Chapel Academy in Woodbridge, in Music – Vocal Contemporary.
“My first love is the arts,” said Victor L. Powell, PWCPS Supervisor of Title I & IV Programs Student Opportunity and Multilingual Services Department. Connection to the arts is deeply personal, he explained, that when he was a kid, he wanted to be an art major.
“I was really good at drawing. I was the kid who walked around with a sketch pad. Powell said. While other kids took AP Math and English classes, I was taking AP Art classes.” His reflection underscores the role ACT-SO plays in creating space for students to develop their talents, celebrate their creativity and channel their passions into meaningful forms of expression.
In total 18 competitors vied for gold, silver and bronze medals and a chance to compete at the national level.
Local silver medal winners include:
- Melinisis Diop, a junior at Woodbridge High School, in Drawing / Painting;
- Gabriel Hamilton, a junior at Osbourn Park High School, in Music – Instrumental Contemporary, added a silver medal to his earlier cited gold-medal finish;
- Samuel Laing, a junior at Colgan High School, in Music – Instrumental Contemporary;
- Kartyr Mainor, a freshman at Colgan High School, in Dramatics;
- Nathaniel Myers, a sophomore at Forest Park High School, in Music – Instrumental Classical;
- Reinalynn Patton, a sophomore at Forest Park High School, in Original Essay;
- Chymorah Piper, a senior at Colgan High School, in Dance – Modern;
- Kamani Sellers, a junior at Gar-Field High School, in Short Story
The bronze medal winners include:
- Imani Cobbs, a senior at Forest Park High School, in Music – Instrumental Classical;
- Marcus Manderson, a homeschooled senior studying through A Beka Academy, in Painting added bronze medal to his earlier cited gold medal finish;
- Corbyn Person, a junior at Colgan High School, in Music – Instrumental Classical added a bronze medal to his earlier cited gold medal finish;
- Storm Person, a sophomore at Colgan High School, in Music – Instrumental Contemporary;
- Chymorah Piper, a senior at Colgan High School, in Dance – Contemporary; added a bronze medal to her earlier cited silver medal finish.
