The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is dedicated to promoting patriotism, as well as investing in our future generations. One way of doing this is through offering scholarships for well-deserving students. High School students could win a $35,000 college scholarship, while a middle school student may compete for a $5,000 scholarship.
The Voice of Democracy essay program provides high school students with the opportunity to express themselves by submitting a democratic and patriotic- themed audio essay.
Nearly 25,000 students in grades 9-12 in all 50 states enter to win their share of more than $2 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through this program. The local VFW chapter is the starting point. Winners move to the state level, then national level, where the top essay will earn a $35,000 scholarship paid directly to the student’s American university, college or vocational/technical school.
A list of other national scholarships range from $1,000 to $21,000, and the first-place winner from each state wins at least a $1,000 scholarship.
To qualify to compete, the student must be a permanent resident or have applied for permanent residency with the intention of becoming a U.S. citizen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law. Foreign exchange students, those age 20 or over, previous winners, GED or adult education students are ineligible.
The audio essays must be 3-5 minutes in length (+/- 5 seconds) and submitted on a flash drive or other electronic device, accompanied by a typed copy and the entry form. Entries are submitted by October 31.
In judging entries, 30 points are awarded for originality in relation to the required theme chosen by the VFW, 35 points are awarded for content expressing the student’s ideas in an organized manner and 35 points are awarded for delivery of the audio portion of the entry. The 2022-23 pre-selected theme was “Why is the Veteran Important?”
Local winners were announced at Lincoln Junior/ Senior High School Friday, January 7.
LJSHS senior Carter Rathbun was the firstplace winner. Second place went to LJSHS junior Carisa McBride, and LJHSH junior Jasmine Fenn was the third-place winner of the local contest.
