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Students from Four Schools Honored in Rice Essay Contest

Ten students from HISD schools were honored at Rice University recently as winners of an essay-writing contest sponsored by the institute’s Houston Enriches Rice Education (HERE) Project.

The contestants addressed the theme, "If you were President Obama's chief advisor, what national issue would you suggest the president address first and why?" and prizes were presented to the winners on May 23 in the Farnsworth Pavilion at the Rice Memorial Center, 6100 Main Street.

First-place winner Ana Cuello of Jefferson Davis High School received $1,000 for her essay on immigration reform, while second-place winner Griscel Sanchez of Westbury High School received $750 for her essay on the need for better educational funding. Martha Juarez of Eastwood Academy and Rebecca Villarreal of John Reagan High School tied for third place and received $500 each for their essays on educational reform and human trafficking (respectively). All winners also received free Princeton Review classes at Rice University, including six other students who won honorable mention.

This is the second year that the HERE Project has sponsored an essay-writing contest. Limited to 11 inner-city high schools, the contest drew 133 participants this year—more than five times the number of students who entered last year's contest.

HERE Project founder Anthony Pinn said he was pleased to see the growth of the program. “I wanted to engage young people from different Houston communities in a writing process, which encourages them to reflect on their future and practice their writing skills,” said Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and professor of religious studies at Rice.

The HERE Project is a curricular and research initiative created to advance Rice's relationship with the larger Houston community and to enhance faculty research and both undergraduate and graduate education.

For more information about the HERE project, please visit the link above.