Two students from Bellevue have been honored in by the World Affairs Council of Seattle.

Youth in grades 3-12 were encouraged to ponder the following question: Looking back over the last 60 years, please identify a Puget Sound-based innovation that has left its mark around the world. Explain why and how this innovation had an impact beyond the United States.

Zanwar Faraj, a 10th grader at Sammamish High School, captured first place in the 9-12 grade group with his essay, entitled,”The New Era of Commerce,” Zanwar writes, “With the emergence of Amazon in 1995, the revolutionary global e-commerce industry was formed. The business model of Amazon radically altered the way world consumers shop, allowing us to substitute the shopping cart with the mouse. E-commerce enjoys numerous advantages, not limited to cost effectiveness and receptiveness to environmental concerns.”

In the 6-8 grade group, Arun Palaniappan, a 7th grader at Odle Middle School, took first place with his essay, “Eradicating Deadly Diseases: The Washington Global Health Alliance.” He writes, “Members of the WGHA together are leading the international efforts to eradicate deadly diseases, and they are helped a lot by the advantages they receive for being a part of the WGHA (financial support, for one). This type of alliance is very unique. But eradicating diseases isn’t all the members of the WGHA do. From curbing CO2 emissions to eliminating premature childbirth, members focus on projects concerning every aspect of global health.”