The two winners of the Civics Essay Contest were announced at the May 4 meeting of the Bedford Democrats. 

Bedford’s Democratic NH State Representatives, Catherine Rombeau and Loren Foxx, presented certificates and $500 prizes to the winners – Jillian Russell and Shrihan Sathish.

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The Civics Essay Contest is a new initiative of the Bedford Democrats to demonstrate their commitment to the Bedford community and the successful future of high school seniors. Although this year’s winners both attend Bedford High School, the contest was open to any graduating high school student who lives in Bedford. This year’s essay topic was “What do you see as the major problem facing people in your generation and what do you plan on doing about it?”

In her essay, Jillian Russell focused on helping others with the “Three Ts: time, treasure, and talent.” She explains that using these three Ts to aid others’ struggles, lessens the burden of a divided society. Russell’s efforts to make an impact on those in need include the hours she spends working at Fueled by Kids to support Manchester students suffering from food insecurity.

Shrihan Sathish’s essay highlighted educational inequality and how a school’s funding and environment can shape student potential. He is already doing his bit by volunteering at Breakthrough Manchester, a local educational program supporting under-resourced students. In Sathish’s own words, “Education is a right that everyone should receive, and I plan to help keep creating change in in order to make that right possible for all.”

To read both the winning essays in full, click HERE.