"Our city's name is Progressi Citta," said Miguel Rodriguez.

He is a 7th grader at St. Thomas the Apostle in South Miami.  In reality he's just a kid, but in Progressi Citta, he's the mayor. 

"We have a highway that reduces traffic and congestion because it's magnetic levitation and cars go up to 200 mph," said Rodriguez.

The students are a part of a national competition designed to build future leaders. 

"Ask yourselves the questions 'What if we? or how could we?' Then fill in the blanks," said their teacher Ana Portela.

They are competing in Washington, DC after spending months creating a plan, a budget and designing a structure. Traffic and energy efficiency are the top priorities in Progressi Citti.  "In the year 2177 there is nothing that we make that is not recyclable or biodegradable." 

Catalina Rincon serves as the head of The Department of Energy. Her focus?  Helping the make believe city use its resources effectively. "Our vehicles on the roads run on hydrogen fuel cells,"  said Rincon.

City Manager Emily Ocon considers the city's infrastructure. "Our bridges, our roads, everything’s built that it won't collapse like two months later," said Ocon.

Even garbage collecting is different in the city. "Everything goes into the waste disposal and it gets vacuumed out kind of like at your bank teller." 

While the kids are allowed to use their imagination, Delfin Molins, along with Miami-Dade County Public Works, is supervising to make sure their ideas are somewhat realistic.

The hope is that some day these students will apply what they learned in the classroom to their hometown.