Women’s History Essay Contest
2022 Essay Contest Winners
The Florida Commission on the Status of Women is proud to announce the winners of the 2022 Florida Women’s History Essay Contest
The 6th-grade winners are:
- 1st Place (Tie) – Aanvi Patel, Sarasota Middle School, Sarasota, Teacher: Irene Moksha
- 1st Place (Tie) – Xavier Young, Workman Middle School, Pensacola Teacher: Helene Carrington
The 7th-grade winners are:
- 1st Place (Tie) – Simone Adams, Western Pines Middle School, Royal Palm Beach Teacher: Steve Gordon
- 1st Place (Tie) – Dimitri Francois, Sawgrass Springs Middle School, Coral Springs teacher: Fitz Lewis
The 8th-grade winners are:
- 1st Place – Nishini Fernando, Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School, Fort Myers, Teacher: Steve Wylie
- 2nd Place – Matthew Linton, Western Pines Middle School, Royal Palm Beach, Teacher: Steve Gordon
The Florida Women History Essay Contest serves to celebrate women’s history and to increase awareness of the contributions made by Florida women, including the more than 100 members of the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame. Entries for this year’s contest were challenged to write, or create a video, about a Florida woman in a STEM field that inspires them.
“Celebrating women’s history presents the opportunity to honor and recount stories of our female leaders’ talents, sacrifices, and commitments that have had a profound impact on the State of Florida,” says Essay Contest Chair Commissioner Lady Dhyana Ziegler, DCJ, Ph.D., “Learning about our past allows us to build our future. The essay and video contests are designed to inspire the future leaders of our state and to help them learn more about women’s history.”
Winning essayists will be awarded prizes and recognized at a special ceremony in their communities.
2021 Essay Contest Winners
The Florida Commission on the Status of Women is proud to announce the winners of the 2021 Florida Women’s History Essay Contest
The 6th-grade winners are:
- 1st Place – Natalia Carreno-Lukasik, A.D. Henderson University School in Boca Raton, Teacher: Ms. Samantha Adams
- 2nd Place – – Nikko Yunes, A.D. Henderson University School in Boca Raton, Teacher: Ms. Samantha Adams
The 7th-grade winners are:
- 1st Place – Nishini Fernando, Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School in Ft. Myers, Teacher: Ms. Holly Rose
- 2nd Place – Shaynah Semervil, Western Pines Middle School in West Palm Beach, teacher: Mr. Steve Gordon
The 8th-grade winners are:
- 1st Place – Genevieve Waters, Hidden Oaks Middle School in Palm City, Teacher: Ms. Laura Bianco
- 2nd Place – Katelyn Ramsahai, Western Pines Middle School in West Palm Beach, Teacher: Mr. Steve Gordon
“Celebrating women’s history presents the opportunity to honor and recount stories of our female leaders’ talents, sacrifices, and commitments and inspires today’s generations,” says Essay Contest Chair Commissioner Marilyn Stout. “Learning about our past allows us to build our future. This essay is designed to inspire the future leaders of our state and to help them learn about women’s history.”
This year’s contest focused on how the events of 2020 have impacted us all. Participants were asked to write a letter to a member of the Florida Women’s Hall of Women, describing the one event of 2020 that affected them the most and how they are inspired by the member to whom they are writing to help make things better.
Winning essayists will be awarded prizes and recognized at a special ceremony at the 8th Annual LEAD Summit to be held March 23 – 25, 2021.
2020 Essay Contest Winners
The Florida Commission on the Status of Women (FCSW) honored the winners of its 6th annual Women’s History Essay Contest today during a celebration luncheon on the 22nd floor of the Florida Capitol as part of the annual LEAD Summit. In recognition of the Centennial of Women’s Suffrage the middle-school participants in this year’s contest were challenged to write about “What the right to vote means to you and explain why everyone should vote in the 2020 election.”
“As we begin 2020, we hope that this contest will inspire our middle school students to learn more about the men and women who contributed to such a major turning point in our country’s history,” says FCSW Commission Chair Rita Barreto Craig. “The Florida Women’s History Essay Contest was established to encourage young people to think creatively about our nation’s great history and learn about the importance of voting.”
“The Women’s History Essay Contest is an excellent tool that allows our children to learn about the women who shaped Florida. It also lends the learning experience of seeing themselves as leaders seeking ways to improve the lives of women today,” says Commissioner Marilyn Stout, Chair of the Essay Contest Task Force. “The students who participated in the contest did a great job of expressing the contest theme, and I congratulate them all. I also want to thank all the parents and teachers who helped the students create their entries.”
First-place winners in each grade were awarded $100 each; 2nd place $75. Each was presented a special recognition letter from Governor Ron DeSantis. Students read their essays, and their teachers were also recognized for their dedication to learning. Highlights of the event were addressed by Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee, Florida Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Deborah, Tannenbaum, and Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey.
The 6th-grade winners are:
The 7th-grade winners are:
The 8th-grade winners are:
- 1st Place – Miss Meadow Stanley, Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School, Ft. Myers, Teacher: Ms. Holly Rose
- 2nd Place – Miss Jaansi Parsa, Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School, Ft. Myers, Teacher Ms. Holly Rose
