3 teens show us the way!
THIS BELONGS IN EVERY BUSINESS LIBRARY!
Several weeks back we talked about a teen writing contest being sponsored by The Coast News, realtor Melissa Huk, and my company, Write Away Books.
Any 11th or 12-grade student in San Diego’s North County was invited to write about how they’d use $10 million to improve their community.
I’m pleased to say we received several dozen entries, and a panel of five judges waded in to find the region’s best future visions.
Most were good. Some were great. Three were outstanding!
Today it’s with immense pleasure that I introduce to you these three impressive authors and their strategies for improving regional life:
· Third place winner Tanya Mandyam (Westview HS) envisions a youth center dedicated to promoting engineering and innovation.
· Second place winner Ava Baker (Canyon Crest Academy) foresees a sustainable endowment supporting education, leadership, and serving broad social needs.
· First place winner Aryana Mahasseni (Carlsbad HS) presents plans to collect inspirational narratives, stabilize regional housing, invest in STEAM education, and empower youth…all while preserving nature and wildlife.
If we’re being totally honest, many of today’s headlines can be depressing. Across the political spectrum, many people I know are turning inward or giving up on hope. Sadly, it’s turning them from living to just surviving.
Yet reading so many essays from tomorrow’s leaders, one can’t help but be impressed by their visions of opportunity and a better life for everyone, regardless of race, age, religion, politics, or gender.
These young people ARE the future, folks, and their ideas and dreams of a positive tomorrow make me optimistic, regardless of whatever bad news the world may deliver.
From hunger to homelessness, a host of negativity faces us on every front. Yet with a clear eye, these youthful visionaries see multiple pathways out of the jungle.
Which makes me wonder whether it’s time to turn the world over to this younger generation and let them take a whack at improving it.
Said Ms. Mahasseni; “With $10 million, I would plant seeds of memory, compassion, innovation, opportunity, and sustainability that bloom into a stronger, more unified North County. I know that if we’re given the tools, the trust, and the time, we will turn those seeds into something extraordinary.”
It’s a dream, kids, but I’m on your side. Nicely done!
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
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Read the winning essays at https://tinyurl.com/Coastcontest.