The Lions Club is as a service club with chapters in the U.S. and in many countries. Each year the contest gives students an opportunity to expand their research, organizational and speaking skills while building self-confidence. The foundation provided $100,000 in total award money for the 2004 contest. This year’s topic was “Democracy isn’t for everyone.”

Mehrabian related experiences in having lived in Iran as an example of a non-democratic government; Arushanyan offered ideas of a new democracy coming into Iraq and Afghanistan. The two girls have won this first competition and will be competing against each other in another upcoming competition that will be held Thursday.