2024 Student Writing Challenge Winners

Congratulations to this year’s winners of the Gerald R. Ford Student Writing Challenge! Our judges read submissions from over 800 students; these are the essays that came out on top.

We were excited to read from so many perspectives on what the words “American citizen” means to high schoolers across the United States. Students were asked to ground their writing in Ford’s humanitarian relief for America’s Vietnamese allis in 1975.

Prizes ranged from $500 – 2,500 and were awarded to these students:

2024 Winners and Essays

First Place: Lily Hestjean, Munster High School, IN
Second Place: Summer Khan, Forest Hill Northern High School, MI
Third Place: Madelyn Hanes, Winston Salem Forsyth Country Schools, NC

Honorable Mention: Swayam Rath, Hebron High School, TX
Honorable Mention: Aidan Brody, St. Johnsbury Academy, VT
Honorable Mention: Brian Burgess, Timpview High School, UT
Honorable Mention: Arianna Li, Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas, NV
Honorable Mention: Angel Monarrez, Indian Creek High School, IL
Honorable Mention: Makenna Bubolz, Shawano Community High School, WI
Honorable Mention: Jeffrey Pauba, South Gwinnett High School, GA