River Gutkowski, a junior at Union Catholic, has been named one of just three statewide winners of the 2026 New Jersey Mayflower Society Academic Poster Scholarship Award.

The competition, organized by the New Jersey Society of Mayflower Descendants, challenges students to create a poster illustrating the impact of the Mayflower Compact across the past, present, and future. Winners are selected from three regions—North, Central, and South Jersey—and receive a scholarship of more than $1,000. Winning entries are also published in the society’s newsletter and featured on its website.

Gutkowski earned recognition as the Central Jersey winner with a design that emphasized the interconnected nature of history.

“I wanted to show that history isn’t just separate events—it’s all connected,” Gutkowski said. “The Mayflower Compact doesn’t just belong to the past. It still influences how society works today and even how it could develop in the future.”

Her project stood out not only for its message but also for its visual approach. Rather than using a traditional timeline format, Gutkowski developed a concept that linked ideas across time.

“I originally planned to do more of a timeline design, with the past on parchment and the future looking more modern,” she explained. “But it didn’t come together the way I wanted, so I decided to start over. That ended up being the best decision.”

Before assembling the final poster, Gutkowski focused on ensuring her content was both accurate and concise.

“I wrote everything out first to make sure it was clear and historically accurate,” she said. “Then I worked on making it fit well with the design so it wouldn’t feel overcrowded.”

Gutkowski said the biggest challenge in the process was settling on a design that effectively communicated her ideas.

“The hardest part was figuring out how to present everything visually,” she said. “I went through a few drafts that just didn’t work before I found something that really clicked.”

Her finished poster highlights the lasting influence of the Mayflower Compact, which established an early form of self-government based on collective agreement.

“It was one of the first examples of people creating their own system of governance,” Gutkowski said. “That idea carries through to documents like the Constitution and still shapes how our government works today.”

For Gutkowski, the award is both an honor and a source of motivation.

“I’m really grateful to have received this scholarship,” she said. “It means a lot to have my work recognized, especially in a statewide competition.”

As one of only three winners across New Jersey, Gutkowski’s work will now reach a broader audience—demonstrating how a document from 1620 continues to inspire new generations of students.