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Pulitzer Center Update December 26, 2018

Winners and Finalists: Local Letters for Global Change 2018

Author:
Tell Congress what global issue you want them to prioritize!
Tell Congress what global issue you want them to prioritize!

The Pulitzer Center congratulates the 2018 Local Letters for Global Change contest winners and finalists!

The thirteen engaged community members whose writing and bios appear below were selected from among some 270 entrants worldwide. These young people have demonstrated passion for global issues, made meaningful connections between their own communities and the wider world, and offered compelling solutions for some of the world's most pressing problems.

In fall 2018, we asked K-12 students to make their voices heard by writing a letter to their local representative about a global issue they want to see addressed, using Pulitzer Center reporting to make their case. Students drew on diverse reporting projects on subjects ranging from climate change to child soldiers, from migration to mass incarceration. You can view the workshop guide here and stay up to date on education opportunities and resources by signing up for our weekly education newsletter.

Contest Winners

1st Place

Neha Kulshreshtha, 10th grade, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, VA
Letter to Representative Gerry Connolly

2nd Place

Adrian Otero, 10th grade, Half Hollow Hills High School West, NY
Letter to Senator Chuck Schumer

3rd Place
Isabelle Kolleth, 11th grade, Archbishop Hoban High School, OH
Letter to Senator Sherrod Brown

Finalists

Chloe Williams, 12th grade, Walter Payton High School, IL
Letter to Representative Danny Davis

Ishani Singh, 6th grade, Indian Hill School, NJ
Letter to Representative Chris Smith

Gerardo Chacón, 11th grade, Back of the Yards High School, IL
Letter to Representative Luis Gutiérrez

Weng Sung-Yun, 12th grade, Taichung Municipal Wen-Hua, Taiwan
Letter to Legislator Chiang Chi-Chen

Anais Beauvis, 10th grade, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, VA
Letter to Representative Don Beyer

Molly Shearer, 11th grade, Allen Park High School, MI
Letter to Senator Debbie Stabenow

Anna Chung, 10th grade, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, VA
Letter to Representative Don Beyer

Anabelle Manrique, 11th grade, Walter Payton High School, IL
Letter to Representative Adam Kinzinger

Palak Srivastava, 10th grade, Stuyvesant High School, NY
Letter to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Victoria Vo, 9th grade, Andrew P. Hills High School, CA
Letter to Representative Zoe Lofgren

 

Thank you to every participating student and teacher who engaged deeply with a global issue and inspired us with your passion and your insight. Letters were judged by the Pulitzer Center education team based on content and structure according to the following criteria: