South Brunswick Student's Drawing May Be On Google Homepage

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A 12th-grade student at South Brunswick High School was chosen by several celebrity judges — among them Neil Patrick Harris — as the New Jersey winner of Google's annual "Doodle for Google" competition on Thursday.

Ivy Wang, who lives in Monmouth Junction, was notified Thursday morning, May 3, in a surprise announcement at South Brunswick High, where she was surprised by Google employees and the area's local assemblyman, Andrew Zwicker (D-16th). That's Ivy with the assemblyman and her drawing, above.

Ivy submitted her drawing, which she named "Bike of Friendship," to Google's annual competition, “What Inspires Me." She will now advance to the nationwide contest, where her drawing will be considered against 52 other students' drawing from across the U.S., Washington DC, Puerto Rico and Guam.

The winners were selected by a group of celebrity judges, including Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, Olympic wrestler Laurie Hernandez (they are both from New Jersey), actor Neil Patrick Harris, Ty Burrell (the Dad from "Modern Family") and retired Mets baseball player Carlos Beltran. Her drawing will now be placed online for public voting.

Voting will begin on Monday, May 7 and last until May 18, with the ultimate winner selected by Google on June 8, the same day it will appear on Google's homepage, www.google.com. The winning student will also receive a $30,000 college scholarship, win a $50,000 technology grant for their school or a nonprofit of choice, earn a trip to Google’s headquarters, and more.

So vote for Ivy Wang! You can vote here; this link will go live in a few days and Patch will send out reminders: https://doodles.google.com/d4g...

Wang was honored at an assembly Thursday morning at South Brunswick High. She's going to Rutgers next year, her mom told Patch.

“My greatest source of inspiration comes from my friends. I am lucky to have been surrounded by friends who inspire me to be the best version of myself everyday," said Ivy.

"This year’s submissions were particularly interesting, and offered a great sense into what inspires the next generation of students,” said Carley Graham Garcia, head of external affairs for Google NYC. “Ivy’s work specifically stood out, and her emphasis on friendship and inclusion was extremely moving.”

Photos provided by Google.