Members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives recognized local students at the 2019 Congressional Award Gold Medal ceremony held in Washington, D.C. on June 20.

Honored from La Crescenta were Ami Kim, Junhee Kim and Joshua Son; from Burbank Katherine Simic and from La Cañada Flintridge Kenneth Um were recognized.

The Congressional Award Gold Medal is the highest honor a member of Congress may bestow upon a youth civilian. For a minimum of two years, each gold medalist logged at least 800 hours across four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration.

The 2019 Gold Medal class is the largest in the program’s 40-year history with approximately 1,000 people honored.