Honored to Celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest Winners

Part of my work at the Connecticut Writing Project-Fairfield that I truly love is supporting young writers with all they have to communicate in written form. This year, we were once again invited to be judges in the Connecticut Post MLK, Jr. Essay contest and to help organize distribution of information. We also designed the flyer accommodating this year's theme for middle school students - a time when they chose to do something right.

The winner, Abram Goda, immigrated to this country after his family faced persecution in Egypt because of their Christian religion. The 7th grader addressed the audience to discuss how Martin Luther King offers hope not only to Americans, but young people growing up around the world. He discussed the inequities around the globe and that now, more than ever, oppressed people need inspirational ideas of intellects, change agents, and leaders. He dedicated his essay to a police officer in NYC who became famous for purchasing shoes for a homeless man. Such acts of kindness, he reported, is what we should always celebrate amongst one another.

photo below taken by Fred J. Kuo,
Director of Student Involvement at Fairfield University

The three essay winners were given cash prizes from the Connecticut Post, a scholarship to attend one of the Young Writers' Institutes this summer, a copy of Trina Paulus's Hope For The Flowers. All award recipients were deserving last evening and I was humbled by the great humanitarian spirits they shared with their words.

As this year's theme declared, The time is always right to do what is right. Last evenings ceremony was the right time to honor deserving youth, staff, students, and faculty at Fairfield University.