Lifting Up Westchester Announces Student Essay Contest Winners

Lifting Up Westchester, a non-profit agency committed to helping individuals restore their independence, announced the winners of its Fourth Annual Student Essay Contest.

Open to all Westchester students in the 7th to 12th grades, students were invited to explore the changes and challenges they have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and reflect how those experiences might be the same or different for individuals who are homeless or low-income. The essay contest was established in 2017 in memory of Beth Massey Rubens, a 40-year resident of Scarsdale and a lifelong teacher, tutor, and mentor who had a love for language arts.

Students were asked to reflect on how the pandemic impacted them personally and what it has exposed about economic and social inequities in the United States; what they learned about the importance of connection; where they have seen resilience or adaptability during this crisis; what values are more important or less important to them today than a year ago; and what can be done to change inequities in social justice the pandemic exposed.

Students related their essays back to Lifting Up Westchester’s response to the pandemic and the agency’s core mission. The organization received essays from 441 students representing 76 middle and high schools throughout Westchester, with many students sharing deeply personal stories about how the pandemic affected them, their families, their friends, and their community.

“This year’s essay contest topic clearly struck a chord,” said Anahaita Kotval, CEO of Lifting Up Westchester. “Students wrote about disappointment, loss, loneliness, and social inequality. But they also expressed a sense of renewed hope and how the lessons they learned could be a powerful force for all of us to move towards a better future.”

A panel of 61 judges reviewed the essays to select the ultimate winners.

Students will be honored during a May 2 awards ceremony conducted over Zoom. Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano will present awards to winning students. Eileen Gallagher, chair of the English Department at Keio Academy of New York, will join to present awards to ESL students.

First, second and third place and honorable mention cash prizes were awarded in three grade groups: 7th and 8th graders, 9th and 10th graders and 11th and 12th graders. A category was added this year for students who speak English as a second language.

Winners for the 2021 Student Essay Contest include:

7 & 8 Grade

First Place: Sofia Mejia, School 5 in Yonkers

Second Place: Zoya Nabeel, Seven Bridges Middle School in Chappaqua

Third Place (tie): Moiko Martin, Ardsley Middle School Third Place (tie): Sophie Brennan, Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont

Honorable Mention: Fakhri Salim, Valhalla Middle School

Honorable Mention: Sophia Suiu, Fox Lane Middle School in Bedford

9 & 10 Grade

First Place: Janira Martinez, Peekskill High School

Second Place: Kristen Luther, Woodlands High School

Third Place: Joseph Berger, Briarcliff Manor

Honorable Mention: Shweta Nadagouda, Harrison High School

11 & 12 Grade

First Place: Alyssa Lee, Yonkers Middle/High School

Second Place: Drew Burnham, Rye High School

Third Place: Janette Martiena, The Ursuline School in New Rochelle

Honorable Mention: Eli Makaron, Briarcliff Manor

ESL

First Place: Yoshiaki Shimizu, Keio Academy of New York in Purchase

Second Place: Haruka Tsutsumi, Keio Academy of New York in Purchase

Third Place: Yoshihisa Ono, Keio Academy of New York in Purchase

Honorable Mention: Eita Yamazumi, Keio Academy of New York in Purchase