National Peace Essay Contest State Winners Announced
(Washington) – The U.S. Institute of Peace announced today the state-level winners of the 2012-2013 National Peace Essay Contest (NPEC). Each of the 50 high school students received an academic scholarship for their essays on “Gender, War, and Peacebuilding.”
Launched in 1987, the annual NPEC challenges students to evaluate critically the international issues related to the work of the Institute. USIP’s Center for Gender and Peacebuilding informs and expands critical understanding about gender impacts, contributes to policy changes through analytical and practitioner work on gender, conflict, and peacebuilding, and enhances the role of women in peacebuilding through education and training of both men and women.
“This year’s topic asked students to examine how to include women—who have traditionally been left out of peace processes—in an actual peace agreement,” said Pamela Aall, provost of USIP’s Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. “These fifty winners from across the United States wrote great essays, showing a real depth in understanding of gender issues and how women and minority groups can help build sustainable peace.”
In addition to the $1,000 academic scholarship, the state winners are invited to Washington in June to study the essay topic in depth through simulations, briefings with foreign policy officials and practitioners, and meetings with their elected representatives. The national first, second, and third place winners will be announced at the conclusion of the Washington program week.
This year, nearly 1,000 students submitted entries to the NPEC while thousands more participated in related writing and critical thinking exercises in high schools around the country. Many of the previous state-level winners have gone on to study foreign policy issues in college and become leaders in international affairs careers.
The 2013 National Peace Essay Contest State Winners are:
| Alabama
Rohan Palanki |
Kentucky
Abigail Martin |
Ohio
Jingwen Zhang |
| Alaska
Chaline Lobti |
Louisiana
Logan Istre |
Oregon
Sarah Gordon |
| Arizona
Jessica Li |
Maine
Leah Jones |
Overseas Schools
Bo Yeon Jang |
| Arkansas
Emily Schienvar |
Maryland
Juan Sebastian Cortes-Sanchez |
Pennsylvania
Maria Spirk |
| California
Tricia Light |
Massachusetts
Jeanelle Wheeler |
Rhode Island
Shayreen Izoli |
| Colorado
Zoe Branch |
Michigan
Anna Mitchell |
South Carolina
Claire Atwood |
| Connecticut
Rishi Mutalik |
Minnesota
Molly Nemer |
South Dakota
Catherine Gibbens |
| Delaware
Courtney Swafford |
Mississippi
Samuel Stewart |
Tennessee
Mary Madison McBrayer |
| District of Columbia
Alison Steinbach |
Missouri
Deanna Fry |
Texas
Hafsa Bouderdaben |
| Florida
Benjamin Manipadam |
Montana
Anne Middleton |
U.S. Territories – Puerto Rico
Gabriela Morera |
| Georgia
Brent Peabody |
Nebraska
Madeline Webb |
Utah
Afras Sial |
| Hawaii
Justin Park |
Nevada
Bryce Smith |
Vermont
Gailin Pease |
| Idaho
Kyle Ashby |
New Hampshire
Victoria DeRoche |
Virginia
Annie Liu |
| Illinois
Lauren Dermody |
New Jersey
Susan Liu |
Washington
Angelia Miranda |
| Indiana
Angela Cattani |
New Mexico
Kristin Lynn |
Wisconsin
Elizabeth Karron |
| Iowa
Bailey Zaputil |
New York
Andrew Mok |
Wyoming
Mrudhula Baskaran |
| Kansas
Ben Wright |
North Carolina
Prakash Mishra |
A complete list including the honorable mentions is available online.
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The United States Institute of Peace is the independent, nonpartisan conflict management center created by Congress to prevent and mitigate international conflict through non-violent means. USIP works to save lives, increase the government’s ability to deal with conflicts before they escalate, reduce government costs, and enhance national security.
