MD 2nd-Grader Named Doodle For Google Contest Finalist

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A Clarksville 8-year-old will be representing Maryland in the national Doodle for Google competition where he'll vie for a $30,000 college scholarship and the chance to win $50,000 worth of technology for his school.

The public can vote this week to help him win.

Voting to choose the five national finalists began at 9 a.m. Monday PT and will end Friday at 11:50 p.m. PT.

James Pang entered the contest for kindergarten through 12th grade students, which has a theme of "I am strong because..." He worked on at least a couple dozen different sketches until he settled on one that ultimately earned him national honors. In his final sketch, James sits in a room quietly meditating. He's surrounded by his dog, a piano, a globe and books. The contents of his room spell Google.

James' drawing shows how he is strong because if he's having a bad day, he finds inner peace and mental strength through meditation.

“When I am bored, I read and imagine traveling around the world. When I have big emotions, I express myself through music and art. I am emotionally strong," he wrote in a statement that accompanied his entry.

Finding mental strength has been important for everyone during the global coronavirus pandemic, too.

“It has been tough for many people,” James told WTOP. “And for me, the pandemic has been hard for me online, so it’s hard on the internet, stuff working, there’s glitches and everything like that.”

James’ dad, Eric Pang, encouraged his doodling son to enter the contest. Art has been an important part of James' life since his early years.

“He’s always been drawing. In daycare, he was drawing all the time … he’s been taking classes and lessons for three years now, so he’s been drawing weekly,” Pang told WTOP.