Middle Schooler Named Global Health Finalist in Pulitzer Center Contest for Letter on Hepatitis B

Fifth grader Louisa Gellhorn has been named a finalist for the 2025 Local Letters for Global Change contest, sponsored by the Pulitzer Center. Selected from a pool of nearly 1,500 entries in grades 5-12 from across the world, Gellhorn earned this distinction in the Global Health category.

This trimester, Gellhorn joined "Local Letters," a Middle School WIN (What I Need) enrichment block led by CEL teacher Julie Knutson. The workshop challenges students to advocate for meaningful causes through the power of writing. After researching public health online, Gellhorn was inspired to use this opportunity to give back. "I want everyone in my community to have the same health support as me," she shared.

“Louisa’s profound humanism, intellectual curiosity, and willingness to engage with complexity were on full display throughout the process,” says Knutson. “Her global health advocacy didn’t stop once the letter was submitted: She continued to seek out opportunities to share her findings and solutions, notably by participating as a student speaker in a Pulitzer-sponsored virtual student forum.”

The contest challenges students to champion the power of stories by making complex global issues relevant to their local communities. As a finalist, Gellhorn’s work will be featured on the Pulitzer Center website, and she has been awarded a monetary prize to support civic engagement and global education within her class and the wider community.

Gellhorn’s letter, addressed to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, focused on health care disparity. In her research, she identified a critical gap in public health outcomes and advocated for systemic changes to protect vulnerable populations.

“In the United States, Hepatitis B has an unequal impact on people in different communities,” she wrote. 

She urged city officials to prioritize preventative care, writing: “I think the idea of screening women during pregnancy, along with vaccination and public awareness, is very important to lessening the spread of Hepatitis B in the U.S. …I urge you to continue to try to fund these efforts and create public announcements to make people aware.”

While Gellhorn noted that researching and writing about such a dense global health issue was a challenge, she says she found the process deeply rewarding. Her success and perseverance highlight the core values of an SCH education—fostering critical thinking, rigorous research, and a restless curiosity that leads to meaningful civic engagement.