Young Family Historians Essay Contest 2023 hero
Young Family Historians Essay Contest 2023 hero
Young Family Historians Essay Contest 2023
Congratulations to our 2023 Winners
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Young Family Historians Essay Contest. The contest invited students in grades 4-12 across the country to explore what they learned about themselves, the community, and the nation by reflecting on a story from their personal family history. The winning essays were judged based on their research process, supporting evidence, originality, and quality of writing. Each submission was a reminder of the importance of family history and the power of storytelling.
Grades 4-6
Winner: Student from Pennsylvania
Semifinalist: Somya Axelsen, Grade 6, Simpsonville, SC
Grades 7-8
Winner: Shijun Li, Grade 7, North Andover, MA
Semifinalist: Eve Fortney, Grade 7, Maryville, TN
Grades 9-12
Winner: Student from Massachusetts
Semifinalist: Takara Welter, Grade 9, Kettle Falls, WA
Shijun Li
The Pike School, North Andover, MA
Winner, Grade 7
“Being in the lower class gave my great-grandfather a taste of the common people’s struggles. Poor families could only afford one set of clothes, so that only the person going out could be dressed and the rest had to be naked. Poverty and starvation ran rampant in the streets. People starved to death in their homes. To the regular civilians living in China, it would have seemed like the end of the world.”
Somya Axelsen
Homeschool, Simpsonville, SC
Semifinalist, Grade 6
“I would like to follow [Dr. Hannah Bradford Ripley’s] lead by using my skills to help my community thrive. Thanks to her unforgettable story, I have a drive to live up to her example and achieve the impossible whether big or small because you can’t have a healthy community without those who are willing to help it flourish.”
Takara Welter
Homeschool, Kettle Falls, WA
Semifinalist, Grade 9
“Nicholas’ story and the circumstances around his emigration to America emerged over the past year as a significant part of my own family heritage. At the same time we were learning about Nicholas, we followed the news of war, driving so many from their homes in Ukraine. When my family lived in Belgium, we met some of the many families who fled from conflict in Syria. Reflecting on all of the above, I feel a connection to those displaced Syrians and Ukrainians (and, sadly, so many others around the world).”
Eve Fortney
Montgomery Ridge Intermediate School, Maryville, TN
Semifinalist, Grade 7
"While learning about Stephen Hopkins I discovered a lot about my ancestry . . . What I learned about myself is how lucky I am to be a part of a nation with religious freedom."
