Abigail, Tennessee

Abigail has spent eight years in Classical Conversations. With her parents, Chris and Manda, cheering her on, she achieved Memory Master four times. Her approach to hard work is straightforward: a little every day. Between CC community days, she plays guitar, sings, reads, runs cross country and track, plays soccer, and stays active in her church. Her favorite subjects are English and geography. For students wondering if they have what it takes, Abigail encourages, “Don’t be discouraged if you don’t know it all right away. It doesn’t come overnight, but you can do it too. Work diligently, trust God, and have fun along the way.”

Alexa, South Carolina

In four years of Classical Conversations, Alexa achieved Memory Master four times, an accomplishment that reflects the focused, self-motivated preparation her parents, Lisa and Adam, have watched her pour into the process. Outside of CC, she channels that energy into gymnastics, reading, crocheting, and playing piano. Her favorite subjects are timeline and math. When it came time to submit her video, Alexa leaned on something bigger than preparation alone: “I learned to give it to God. There’s no use worrying about doing better because I did my best, and the rest is up to God.”

Amelia, Washington

Amelia has been part of Classical Conversations for eight years, and with encouragement from her mom, Julia, and her dad, David, she achieved Memory Master four times. She loves reading, painting, outdoor activities, and spending time on the water with her family. Her favorite subjects are science, geography, and history. When the preparation felt hard, Amelia turned to verse Philippians 4:6, which says, “Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.” Her advice to future Memory Masters is “When the going is hard, don’t give up. Rely on God and trust Him in all things.”

Cuyler, Florida

Cuyler keeps a full schedule. He participates in Jiu-Jitsu, theater, and competes on the speech and debate team. Additional hobbies include playing the piano and alto saxophone. Cuyler was engaged in all of these activities while preparing for the National Memory Master Competition. His family has been in Classical Conversations for three years, and Cuyler achieved Memory Master three times. His favorite subjects include Bible and history. Cuyler’s advice to other Foundations students who want to become a Memory master is to trust your parents because they know best, believe in yourself, persevere, proof consistently, and enjoy the journey.

Daniel, Massachusetts

Daniel has been part of Classical Conversations for three years, and with the support of his parents, Diana and Cleber, he achieved Memory Master three times. When he isn’t working through memory work, Daniel plays guitar and drums, and stays active through soccer, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), and his youth group. His advice to future National Memory Masters is to “Work hard and don’t give up. You can do it!”

Graham, Alabama

Graham was eight years old when his parents, Rebekah and Landon, took their family to attend their first Classical Conversations community day. In the first days of community, he learned about Memory Master and was immediately inspired. Four years and four Memory Master titles later, he’s competing in the championship. Graham enjoys reading, drawing, building forts in the woods, making movies with his brothers, playing soccer, and attending children’s ministry. When asked about what it actually takes to become a National Memory Master, Graham says, “Just ten minutes of diligent study every day adds up and pays off.”

Joel, North Carolina

Joel has spent nine years in Classical Conversations alongside his parents, Hilary and Russ, and achieved Memory Master three times. He enjoys skiing, mountain biking, baseball, cross country, and drawing, and his favorite subjects are history and science. He reflected on what the process taught him: “I learned how not to give up when I make mistakes but to persevere and keep at it. Weaving together twelve pieces of memory work to make an interesting story is hard work!”

Josiah, Kentucky

Josiah has been working toward this moment for a long time. At six years old, he watched his older brother compete as a National Memory Master finalist and set his sights on the same goal. Eight years of Classical Conversations and five Memory Master titles later, he’s here, with his parents, Kristy and Tony, beside him. He enjoys baseball, soccer, fishing, hunting, hiking, kayaking, primitive archery, showing goats, and collecting baseball cards. His message to other students is to “Set a goal for yourself. Don’t give up, no matter how difficult it becomes. Becoming a Memory Master is a gift to your future self.”

Jude, Alabama

Jude’s family has been in Classical Conversations for eleven years, and with his parents’ support, Lee and Dean, he achieved Memory Master four times. He plays violin and various other instruments, sings in choir, reads, and plays football. Jude followed in his older brother’s footsteps to get here, motivated by the example set before him. His message to anyone who thinks the goal is out of reach is, “Even if it seems too hard, keep going. You can do it!”

Kinsley, Ohio

Kinsley has been working toward this competition for years. Nine years in Classical Conversations with her parents, Jocelyn and Rob, and four Memory Master titles have brought her to this point. Outside of memory work, she performs in theater, takes Irish dance lessons, plays piano, serves in her church’s preschool ministry, and is currently pursuing her second-degree black belt in Taekwondo. Kinsley’s main takeaway is that “Things aren’t always as easy as they look, but it’s wonderful to know you’ve accomplished something difficult. A little practice every day goes a long way.”

Marcus, Georgia

Marcus has spent nine years in Classical Conversations, achieving Memory Master four times with the support of his parents, Nichole and Marcus. He enjoys reading, playing guitar, solving Rubik’s Cubes, building Lego sets, and spending time outside with his brother and friends. When it came time to prepare his video, Marcus took the lead himself, broke the work into pieces, set timers to practice multiple times a day, and pushed through to the deadline. He reflected on the experience, saying, “It feels good to do hard things, especially when it feels like it’s never going to get done. My family was really supportive, and it was a lot of fun working on it.”

Megan, Texas

Megan has been in Classical Conversations for eight years and achieved Memory Master three times with her parents, Kayce and Sam, cheering her on. She plays soccer, performs in theater, loves reading, and spends time with her dog, Annie. National Memory Master is what her family calls a “challenge-before-Challenge,” a bridge into the next stage of her education. Megan thought about the process, reflecting, “Even when you expect the work to be hard, it’s often harder. But you have to push through the challenges to achieve something you’re proud of.”

Nikolai, Pennsylvania

Nikolai approached his preparation for National Memory Master the way he approaches most things: with genuine curiosity. A six-time Memory Master with eight years in Classical Conversations, Nikolai enjoys playing violin and drums, building with Legos, experimenting with his 3D printer, traveling, visiting science museums, and serving at church. His parents are Olga and James. He reflected on what clicked during preparation, “I learned how powerful it is to take ideas I already know and intentionally build on them. Once you have a clear main idea, you can keep adding, almost like a tree. That made putting the story together much easier and more rewarding.”

Rooney, Montana

Rooney’s list of hobbies covers a lot of ground: ice hockey, woodworking, strength training, fort building, serving in her church’s children’s ministry, and by her own account, learning how to wrestle crocodiles. Her family has been in Classical Conversations for seven years, and with her parents, Erin and Brent, she achieved Memory Master four times. Rooney believes the competition offers an important lesson: “Hard work pays off, and it’s a great opportunity that every CC student should take advantage of. Make it fun!”

Zane, Colorado

Zane has been part of Classical Conversations for seven years and has achieved Memory Master three times with the support of his family. He enjoys speech and debate club, baseball, basketball, and spending time with family and friends. When preparing for National Memory Master, he discovered the process was more manageable than he expected. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. If you put your mind to it and spend enough time, it won’t seem as overwhelming, and though making a video can be very hard, it can also be a lot of fun.”

Zanetta, North Carolina

Zanetta’s family has been part of Classical Conversations for fourteen years. With the steady support of her parents, John and Monica, she has achieved the honor of Memory Master twice. She enjoys traveling, gymnastics, raising her ducks, cooking, fishing, and spending time with friends, family, and her church community. When the week her video project was due arrived, she faced illness but refused to give up. Instead, she pushed through with determination and faith. Her approach to the entire process reflects her heart: “Work on it like you’re doing it to please the Lord. Practice makes perfect. The only way to fail is not to try.” Zanetta’s perseverance and positive spirit are an inspiration to everyone around her.