Table of Contents
Essay Contest Winners
Research & Learn
2021-2022
First Place – $10,000 Scholarship
Sabrina Morera — Doral Performing Arts and Entertainment Academy (Doral, Fla.)
Second Place – $5,000 Scholarship
Jessica Atkins — Mother of Divine Grace School (Ojai, Calif.)
Third Place – (3) $1,000 Scholarships
Zoe Leatherwood — Arlington High School (Arlington, Tenn.)
Benjamin Heim — Lenox Memorial High School (Lenox, Mass.)
Max Abubucker — Towson High School (Towson, Md.)
Runners-Up – (4) $500 Scholarships
Eleanor Israel — Home Life Academy (Jackson, Tenn.)
Nick Odle — Homeschool (Rochester, N.Y.)
Josh Mason — Greater Atlanta Christian School (Norcross, Ga.)
Christopher Danner — Red Lion Area Senior High School (Red Lion, Pa.)
Archive
2020-2021
First Place – $10,000 Scholarship
Maxwell Kearney – Westlake High School, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Second Place – $5,000 Scholarship
Sami Al-Asady – Ironwood High School, Glendale, Ariz.
Third Place – (3) $1,000 Scholarships
Salome Augusto – Stone Bridge High School, Ashburn, Va.
Jenna Smith – Kent Place School, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Margaret Ludwig – Mat-Su Career and Technical High School, Wasilla, Alaska
Runners-Up – (4) $500 Scholarships
Olivia Rodgers – Quincy Senior High School, Quincy, Ill.
Deepa Rao – James Madison High School, Vienna, Va.
Lily Cain – Northwestern High School, Poplar, Wis.
Anjana Peddireddi – Centerville High School, Dayton, Ohio
2019-2020
First Place – $10,000 Scholarship Prize
Alyssa Noseworthy – Nathan Hale High School, West Allis, Wis
Second Place – $5,000 Scholarship Prize
Kayla Host – Weatherford High School, Weatherford, Texas
Third Place – (3) $1,000 Scholarship Prizes
Forrest Cooley – Homeschooled, Warrenton, Ore.
Emily Boyett – Du Quoin High School, Du Quoin, Ill.
Simran Bhardwaj – La Cueva High School, Albuquerque, N.M.
Runners-Up – (4) $500 Scholarship Prizes
Beth Wegener – Homeschooled, Cascade, Idaho
Sydney Householder – The Prout School, Saunderstown, R.I.
Katia Sergeeva – Alpharetta High School, Alpharetta, Ga.
Keegan Priest – Buchanan High School, Clovis, Calif.
2018-2019
First Place – $10,000 Scholarship Prize
Jeshelle Hofland – Homeschooled, Lamont, Mich.
Second Place – $5,000 Scholarship Prize
Michael Morgan – duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Ky.
Third Place – (3) $1,000 Scholarship Prizes
Michelle Wei – Desert Vista High School, Phoenix, Ariz.
Evelyn Crowe – Concordia High School, Georgetown, Texas
Elena Olvera – Pioneer High School, Woodland, Calif.
Runners-Up – (4) $500 Scholarship Prizes
Victoria Ferguson – Fort Davis High School, Fort Davis, Texas
Emma Sawyer – Homeschooled, Yulee, Fla.
Eric Chang – Harnett Central High School, Lillington, N.C.
Ian Olson – The Bush School, Seattle, Wash.
2017-2018
First Place – $10,000 Scholarship Prize
Shelby Tone – Tone Academy (homeschool) – Stoughton, Wis.
Second Place – $5,000 Scholarship Prize
Robyn Anzulis – South Carroll High School – Woodbine, Md.
Third Place – (3) $1,000 Scholarship Prizes
Luke Sorensen – Marana High School – Tucson, Ariz.
Bhargavi Garimella – Leland High School – San Jose, Calif.
Daniel Garcia – Aliso Niguel High School – Aliso Viejo, Calif.
Runners-Up – (4) $500 Scholarship Prizes
Alison Rubin – Davis Senior High School – Davis, Calif.
Sarah Duncan – McKinney High School – McKinney, Texas
William Zhuang – Blue Valley Northwest High School – Overland Park, Kan.
Kaitlyn Hardwick – Russell County High School – Russell Springs, Ky.
2014
First Place: "America is The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.But…Are its Universities?" by Arianna Samet
Second Place: "" (PDF) by Anna Mitchell
Third Place: "Untitled" by Emily Snell
Third Place: "Student Censorship and Academic Growth: A Paradox in Higher Education" by Hadi Kateb
Third Place: "Free Speech: An Inextricable Part of Higher Education" by Mahishan Gnanaseharan
2013
First Place: "**** **** " by Kanitta Kulprathipanja
Second Place: "The Necessity of Debate" by Isabella Penola
Third Place: "Free Speech: The Cornerstone of Civic Empowerment" by Justin Hunsaker
Third Place: "Untitled" by James D.E. Ellwanger
Third Place: "College and University Censorship of Student Speech Undermines America's Future" by Emily Cox
2012
First Place: "The Audacity of Independent Thought" by Mark Gimelstein
Second Place: "What Can I Say?: Free Speech on College Campuses" by Nora Faris
Third Place: "Free Speech's Importance on Campus" by Alexandra Crum
Third Place: "Censorship is Not Education" by Hannah Dent
Third Place: "Education as Conversation" by Asheshananda Rambachan
Drawing Winners: Clayton Hammonds, Jr; Minhi Kang; Hannah Rasmussen; and Brian Shouse.
2011
First Place: "Civil Liberties in Academia" by Vincent Kelley
Second Place: "That We May Think What We Like—Or Not At All" by Rachel Anderson
Runner Up: "The Right to a Free Mind" by Matthew Abel
Runner Up: "Freedom of Speech: The Basis for Higher Education" by Katherine Gerton
Runner Up: "Free Speech is Integral to Higher Education" by Blaire Landon
Runner Up: "Freedom of Speech on College Campuses" by Michael Munther
Runner Up: "Keeping the Marketplace of Ideas Open in Schools" by Zachary Trama
2010
First Place: "Freedoms and Education," by Kristen Kelly Lemaster
Second Place: "Freedom of Expression in Higher Education," by Mollyanne Gibson
Runner Up: "A Uniform Graduating Class," by Abigail Averil
Runner Up: "Tolerating Intellectual Free Will," by Zach Beims
Runner Up: "Oppression of Innovation," by Miriam Leigh Creach
Runner Up: "Tyranny vs. Progress," by Adam Spangler
Runner Up: "Wanted: Free Speech on American Campuses," by Jackson Wilson
2009
First Place: "Educational Institutions or Re-education Camps?" by Nathaniel Cornelius
Second Place (Tie): "In Clear and Present Danger: The State of Personal Liberty in America's Universities," by Andrew David King
Second Place (Tie): "Losing the Marketplace of Ideas," by Eric Podolsky
Runner Up: "Higher Education-or Total Indoctrination?" by Rachel Helmstetter
Runner Up: "The Lighting of a Fire," by Erin Kahn
Runner Up: "Say What We Say...Think What We Think," by Rachel Ochoa
Runner Up: "The Freedom of All Freedoms," by Morgan Turner
Runner Up: "On the Consequences of Oppressing Free Speech," by Danielle Wogulis