We Award Scholarships!

Tess received a $1000 scholarship from our chapter for her essay:

In third grade, I was a part of a Language Arts Enrichment class and learned about Susan B. Anthony for the first time. Immediately, I was enamored by this powerful and inspiring woman. I wrote an essay on her and her efforts in the Suffragette Movement. This interest in Anthony, and in women’s rights generally, grew as I also grew. In fifth grade, I learned about History Day and decided to enter a project with a friend. We studied Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and built a voting booth to present our findings. As part of the display, we had people vote on whether or not the Equal Rights Amendment should finally be ratified in the United States. 

These projects gave me a unique perspective on what it means to be an informed voter, especially an informed female voter. Women have fought long and hard for the right to vote. Now that we have that right, we must fully utilize it. To correctly do so, we must take initiative to educate ourselves and have diverse experiences. In my ECE American Politics class last semester, we read Matt Taibbi’s article titled “The Media’s Ten Rules of Hate”. The article explains that the news media caters to different political parties and blames the opposite party for any missteps or wrongdoings. Because of this, we must be cognizant of where we get our information and make sure that we gain various perspectives. We can then make decisions and judgements for ourselves without being influenced by biased sources. 

Now more than ever it is important to be an informed voter. We live in a society of complex conflict and competition and our country is currently in political turmoil. We must continue to have faith in our democratic system and use our right to vote to make change. We can only begin to do this if we correctly understand how the voting process works, how to be on the lookout for fake information, how to respectfully discuss politics with friends and family, and  

how the system has influenced peoples’ rights throughout history. These four ideas will ensure that our votes truly and fully represent our perspectives and opinions in political disputes. 

As a teenager who will be able to vote for the first time in the next election, I recognize the importance of staying informed on a local, national, and global scale. By educating myself through a variety of sources and school classes, including ECE U.S History, ECE American Politics and ECE Human Rights, I feel more confident that my vote will be informed and align with what I believe will move our society forward. 

Thank you for your consideration of my application. I greatly appreciate your time. 

Gabriel received a $500 scholarship from our chapter for her essay:

My generation is struggling to find its own political identity. With parental influences, social media, and aggressively opposing political parties, there's a tremendous amount of pressure and persuading forces. To be informed is to gather information from numerous different outlets and varying points of view. To be an informed voter is to seek out information that does not reassure your already established beliefs, but instead challenges your views. I fear my generation is failing to do that. In my Politics class, I participated in a debate where a group would decide on a resolution, having to research both the affirmative and the negative, not knowing which side they were going to have to debate until the day of. My group's resolution was “The federal government should implement stricter gun laws.” I’ve always had an established opinion regarding the need for more gun control, which has influenced my decisions as a voter. Yet most of my previously formed opinion was solely based on information that reinforced my pro–gun control stance. By researching alternative solutions and exploring data that does not support gun control, I have become more informed and accordingly hold a more complex, educated understanding of the issue. Through this project, I learned a valuable lesson that has allowed me to grow as a person as well as a voter. When it comes to politics, people are afraid to be challenged, we are afraid to be proven wrong. So instead of trying to further educate ourselves and understand numerous sides of very complex issues, we seek out information that fortifies our previously formed opinions. In the past presidential election, freshly 18, I was extremely eager to exercise my ability to vote. I feel I did not fulfill my responsibility to the fullest by doing the necessary research to be an informed voter. I cast my vote based solely on the information that had been fed to me by my family, peers, and other influences, such as social media. I was not properly informed, especially when it came to voting for Senators and Representatives. I failed to meet my obligation as a voter to research candidates I knew nothing about and the opposing viewpoint I was not educated on. A student in my Politics class stated one day during class, “I voted for who my parents voted for because I don’t know anything about the other candidates.” Often, new voters resort to that exact reasoning. That then becomes habit, which then becomes the political party in which they associate 

themselves. This is a pattern repeated by so many. As a country, we have become so deeply rooted in the identity of our political party that it stops being an election between candidates and becomes an election between red and blue. That is why it is so important to be an informed voter, constantly seeking new information, challenging your beliefs—because then it becomes an election about candidates and what our country needs, not an election about political parties and preconceived conclusions 

Hannah received a $1000 scholarship from our chapter for her essay, which she read at our annual meeting on June 10th. Here is Hannah's essay:

As American citizens, nobody else has more power than us to choose our leaders, those who make

decisions impacting our lives, communities, and nation. Whether you're passionate about animal rights,

immigration policies, free healthcare, or any other cause, voting is an impactful way to contribute to

building the world you want to see. It’s easy to underestimate the significance our individual votes

have, but today, as a fellow American who cherishes liberty and democracy, I implore you to consider

how important voting is and to cast a ballot in the next election.

Do you ever find yourself thinking, "My vote won't make a difference, so why bother?" It's a thought

many share, but that mindset won’t serve you well in life. Imagine applying this logic to everything else in

life - you might as well sit on your couch and do nothing, since mundane daily activities wouldn’t have a

“big enough” impact to matter. But consider this: one question on a homework assignment will not

determine your grade, one workout won’t transform your fitness, and one hour of work unfortunately

won’t cover your student loans. Yet, we do each of these small actions as a step toward a larger goal.

Similarly, our votes, though seemingly small in isolation, are part of a collective effort to shape the future

we want to see.

Let's align our actions with our values. If we're willing to take small steps to improve our personal lives,

shouldn't we extend the same dedication to our nation, a country for which countless people have

sacrificed their lives? What was the point of Americans fighting for suffrage if we aren’t willing to exercise

our hard-earned right to vote? The very definition of democracy depends on the active participation of its

citizens. If we want our democracy to thrive, then each and every one of us must embrace the

responsibility to vote.

And your individual vote holds more influence than you might realize. Why? Peer pressure is powerful. If

your best friend proudly showed you their “I Voted” sticker, wouldn’t you want one too? Or if your

respected older sibling shared their reasons for supporting a particular candidate, wouldn't it inspire you

to make your voice heard as well? Just as others' actions influence us, our actions also influence others.

So be a positive role model and cast your ballot. Your little pebble of a vote will assuredly make a ripple in

the community pool, supporting a culture of civic engagement.

So, let's reject the idea that our votes don't matter, and instead embrace the power it holds to shape our

government and society. Please recognize that democracy is not a spectator sport—it requires our active

engagement and participation. By choosing leaders who share our values and priorities, we can ensure the

government is made for the people, by the people. In the upcoming election, I urge you to cast an

educated vote. You might be surprised at its threefold influence on our country, the people around you,

and yourself.

Jenna received a $1000 scholarship from our chapter for her essay:

The implementation of participatory democracy is foundational to our past, present and future America. Many teenagers today desire to be an influencer and impact their communities, yet many of us cannot be bothered to shoulder our responsibility and vote. Voting can have both local and national impact. Voting for members of the Board of Education at our local elections directly impacts the climate of our schools. This can determine class offerings, policies and procedures. 

In the case of my school recently, voters determined that my school system would merge with a neighboring one to become regionalized. Even on a national level, the changes that were made to the FAFSA have directly affected every senior in high school who has applied to financial aid for college next year. Registering to vote is a simple process that only takes a few minutes, but can have widespread impact on teenagers within the schools and across our nation. 

The American Revolution was fought to create a true republic, a society where the people

and their elected officials hold supreme power in the government. Tens of thousands of soldiers laid down their lives for the right to keep their government accountable for its actions. It took just shy of a century to allow non-white males to have the right to vote, and then another half century for females to be recognized as equal under the eyes of the law and be granted suffrage alongside our male counterparts. By failing to take advantage of our hard-earned voting rights, we waste the blood of our forefathers. 

Abraham Lincoln famously described our government in his Gettysburg Address as “...of the people, by the people, and for the people”. Yet this way of governing hinges on the willingness of the people to participate in government processes, whether local or national. We have the duty to prot\est the government when we believe it is going astray, and to vote the most qualified candidate into office. But we must remember, the betterment of America is in our hands. By doing so, we continue a path of republicanism. The success or failure of our nation depends on our willingness to take up our responsibilities as a people. Jordan Peterson has explained that distributed responsibility and power is the time-tested antidote to tyranny. By voting, we resist totalitarianism and become agents in our lives and communities. Responsibilities that our society abdicates will otherwise be taken up and used against us. Truly,

future America is malleable by voters, or lack thereof.

In conclusion, America was founded on the ideology of the supremacy of the people. If leaders gain their authority from voters, then it must be recognized that every vote is immeasurably important. However, if the people do not take their place as the supreme power, America may cease to exist as we know it. I encourage all of my peers to register to vote and prioritize voting as the greatest way to be an influencer in our society.