2008-2009 Winners - Pacific Region
The winners of the Being an American Essay Contest have been announced! The top three winners in each region were announced at the Awards Gala on March 31, 2009.
Pacific Region
 | First Place - Peter Hadar Kehillah Jewish High School, Grade 12 “As an American, I hold the value of religious tolerance very dear to my heart. America has consistently promoted freedom and opportunity; from Washington to Wilson and onward, American leaders have advocated religious tolerance.” |
 | Second Place - Ashwin Aravind Irvington High School, Grade 12 “Through my voice, I can adhere to American rule of law by utilizing my “citizen’s check” upon the government to keep it focused upon American interests.” |
 | Third Place - Catherine Bevens Friday Harbor High School, Grade 11 “Leadership in making decisions and taking initiative is crucial to living one’s own life, and promoting the civil rights and values given to us as American citizens.” |
Honorable Mention - Devin Whitehead Corning Union High School "Rights and responsibilities, structure and flexibility, freedoms and restrictions, work and relaxation, all of these things require a balance. Would this country collapse if there was restrictions without freedom? Would the same happen if there was freedom without restrictions? Everything is dependant on its opposite. This is why I believe it is the most important civic value." |
Honorable Mention - Logan Herche Pilgrim West Academy “We must not allow ignorance, apathy, selfishness or greed to impede responsible action. We must make responsible use of our freedoms, lest we lose them. The great Americans who preceded us showed that responsibility is necessary for freedom to succeed. May we always be worthy of their gift.” |
Honorable Mention - Hannah Lamadrid Whittier Christian ISP “If we fail to watch the government, which took many years to create, our Founding Fathers' trials will have been in vain. Our Nation was formed by the responsible acts of many people, and without it our nation will cease to exist.” |
Honorable Mention - Madalyn Rainey Paso Robles High School “[Courage] is an admirable quality to posses and helped strengthen and shape America as we know it. Embracing your courage and putting it to use to help reform and make society better is a way to create better communities, and a better country.” |
Honorable Mention - Abigail Weber Pleasant Grove High School “As Americans united in this great nation founded on the ideal equality, we must continue to uphold tolerance, no matter what the cost. Without it, we as a people will transform into divisive fronts, battling each other to achieve our own aims instead of working together towards a common goal.” |
Honorable Mention - Katie Smith Folsom High School “The idea of not only not giving up when faced with adversity, but continuingly fighting for more progress, even when complacency after finishing the initial task is certainly easier is what makes America a country worthy of its praise. For our Founders, the glory of merely winning the physical battle for sovereignty of the colonies was not as tangible as the establishment of a functioning government to ensure the survival and superiority of our country over that which had been ruling us.” |
Honorable Mention - Thien-Y Hoang St. Mary's Academy “The American Dream means equal opportunities for everyone. Every year the United States attracts thousands of immigrants who are longing for what their homelands have failed to offer.” |
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