Micaya Cannon, 13, of the City of Belleville has started a new account in the bank for her college education with her $1,200 winnings from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Patriot’s Pen essay contest.
She was finalist at McBride Middle School, where she is an eighth grader. Then she won first place in the VFW 4434 contest at the Belleville Post, which brought her $200 in cash and a plaque. Then she won the VFW District 4 contest which brought her $500 and a plaque, and then the state contest at the Raddison in Kalamazoo, which brought her $500, a plaque, and a jacket.
She won ninth place in the state. There had been 4,000 entries.
The VFW has this annual nationwide program that provides the opportunity for students in grades 6-8 to compete in the Patriot’s Pen essay contest which begins on the local VFW Post level. They also have a Voice of Democracy essay contest for high school students.
Winners are selected from each local Post to participate in a district level competition with the winner advancing to the department or state level. The end result is the state level winners receive a free trip to Washington D.C. to compete for more than $50,000 in awards, with the national winner receiving a check for $5,000.
What Makes America Great
By Micaya Cannon
McBride Middle School
If you walk up to somebody and ask them, “What makes America Great?”, they might reply with sports, our beautiful geography, the food, or any other stereotypical American piece of culture. Personally, I believe the reasons America is great is because of the ideals our nation was founded upon, the opportunities our people have, and the freedom for our people.
It was July 2nd, 1776 and our Founding Fathers had all gathered together to sign the Declaration of Independence. Two days later it was ratified and sent to King George. We experienced a tyrannical and unfair government so it was time for us to step away. I think the same idea is still true today with our country. We still stand strong behind our beliefs and opinions. The amazing thing about America is that our Constitution and Bill of Rights protects our freedom to express those opinions and beliefs.
America is nicknamed “The Land of Opportunity”. This is the perfect nickname because we give every citizen an equal opportunity to achieve their dreams and excel to their full ability. This is amazing because it means I can do the same thing and have the same opportunities as people with more advantages. In other countries, their citizens do not have the same Constitutional protections and rights. This means they do not have these amazing opportunities. Here in America, part of our greatness is that we don’t just have equality, we have equity. We provide everyone the opportunity to succeed. There are scholarships for education, welfare for disadvantaged people, and loans for entrepreneurs. I’m thankful that America is great and that we have these opportunities.
“… The land of the free and the home of the brave.” These words from Francis Scott Key’s anthem of our nation have become the cornerstone of America. For example, our first amendment gives us several freedoms to live by, including speech, religion, press, petition, and assembly. I am truly blessed to be living in a country where this exists, allowing us to adhere to our inalienable rights. Overall, America is an outstanding country. We are not perfect, but we are an always improving country based off amazing concepts, wonderful opportunities, and freedom for all. America is truly great.