2012 High School Scholarship Essay Contest

Physicians for Social Responsibility/Sacramento
congratulates the ten finalists for the
2012 High School Scholarship Essay Contest.

Their essays were based on the words of the 20th century U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis:

We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.

First Place – Dylan Fitzwater, Nevada Union High School, Grass Valley
Hear Dylan and Judge Reynoso’s April 30 Insight interview.

Second Place – Moosa Zaidi, Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay

Third Place – Lark Trumbly, C.K. McClatchy High School, Sacramento

The other finalists were:
Kyle Cerniglia, Golden Sierra High School, Garden Valley
Tiffany Chan, C.K. McClatchy High School, Sacramento
Sara Harris. Charter Community HSA III, Placerville
Belinda Li, Mira Loma High School, Sacramento
Elissa Niccum, Mira Loma High School, Sacramento
Richard Pham, Florin High School, Sacramento
Naveena Sunkara, Vista Del Lago High School, Folsom

The ten finalists presented their essays at the Scholarship finals dinner on the evening of April 29, 2012. The first place winner received a $3,000 scholarship, second place a $2,500 scholarship, and third place a $2,000 scholarship. The other seven finalists received $1000 scholarships. Read their essays by clicking on their names. Read an article about the event written in Elk Grove News.Net by Michael Monasky.
Hear the ten finalists present their essays courtesy of Media Edge.

The 2012 judges were: Zak Ford, Folsom Cordova School Board member; Dr. Rhonda Rios Kravitz, Dean of the Learning Resources Center at Sacramento City College; Justice Cruz Reynoso, former Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court; Fred Teichert, Executive Director of the Teichert Foundation; and Reverend Faith Whitmore, Executive Director of Francis House.