NANCY ARNOLD

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For thirty years as a school teacher, Nancy K. Arnold, shared her love of America and its history with her students. Though now retired, she continues to share this love through the children’s books she writes. Her goals continue to be to excite children about American history, and to help insure that they understand the values upon which our country was founded. To that end, she is often found presenting a program in a school or civic organization, dressed as Martha Washington or a pioneer woman. The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution has recognized her for her contributions to children’s books on American history, and she has also been given their Women in the Arts Award. Her book, Patriotic Pups, won the Arizona Glyph Award, and in 2015 she received a Silver Will Rogers Medallion Award for Pioneer Pups. In 2011 she was honored to receive the Arizona Federation of Republican Women Teacher of the Year Award. She is thrilled to be the Senior Essay Award winner from Constituting America, and to represent such a wonderful organization. Nancy and her husband enjoy activities with their four grandchildren, as well as sailing on their sailboat off the southern California coast. She is presently in the early stages of writing her third book, and it looks like she will be in need of a Pilgrim costume for future school visits!

Read Essay Here.

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JOY FROST

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Joy Frost, 23, second time Best College Song Winner, is a native of Salt Lake City, Utah. She currently is studying abroad in Germany, majoring in music production. She is working hard at establishing herself as an independent songwriter and has signed several tracks to film and TV music libraries. She is currently recording her second album.

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ZURIEL FERGUSON

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Zuriel Ferguson, 22, from Richmond, Virginia. Ever since Zuriel was a child he has been inspired to create films and tell stories. In 2011, he began to take video production and cinematography very serious by working with the Comcast Public Broadcasting organization in Richmond, VA as one of the producer/technicians while beginning to work in the freelance space for various local entities, and even journalism; taking his passion and skills to the United Nations in New York and to Costa Rica. He is currently attending ECPI College of Technology where he is pursuing a degree in the Computer and Information Science field.

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NOLAN HICKS

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Nolan Hicks, 20, Best College PSA Winner, is a native of Steens, Mississippi. He is a formerly home educated student currently attending Mississippi State University pursuing a degree in Communications as a member of the Shackouls Honors College. Studying with an emphasis in broadcast media, he hopes to pursue a career in filmmaking and visual storytelling.

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LAUREN SWEERS

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Lauren Sweers, 19, Best College PSA Winner, is from Middleville, Michigan and is currently a sophomore at Hope College in Holland, Michigan majoring in Secondary English Education and minoring in History Education. She is passionate about educating America’s young people so that they can think critically and express their ideas and beliefs confidently. She considers making films as one of her favorite hobbies, and also enjoys reading and playing the piano.

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HANNAH COOKSEY

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Hannah Cooksey, 19, Best College Speech winner, lives in beautiful McMinnville, Oregon with her parents and seven siblings. She is studying to be a paralegal at Oak Brook College of Law. She loves Jesus, spending time with friends and family, cooking, playing violin and piano, teaching music lessons, and going on mission trips. Hannah was homeschooled by her mom, Kathy, who instilled in her a love of learning and conservative values. She also lived in Japan 10 years, which helped her to understand the uniqueness of the American government structure.

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AMANDA TESAREK

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Amanda Tesarek, 21, Best College Speech winner, originally hails from Superior, Wisconsin but has since settled in New York City. As a senior at Columbia University, she studies Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies and is learning to speak Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, and Farsi. She is currently in the process of writing a thesis on the role of dark money in Indian and American elections, which was inspired by her experience interning with the New York City Campaign Finance Board. Amanda is a captain of the Columbia University Mock Trial team, a member of America Reads-a volunteer organization that tutors underprivileged Harlem youth-and a founding member of the Constituting America Youth Advisory Board. After graduation, she hopes to travel to a country where she can practice one of the languages she studies and/or work for a few years before ultimately attending law school.

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ABDUL REID & JANAYE MASTERS

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Abdul was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and moved to Douglasville, Georgia, a small town outside of Atlanta, in 2010. Abdul has been working on music ever since he was 11 years old. HeI became interested in music because his older brothers were doing it and he wanted to be just like them. Abdul started producing music seriously when he was 14 and loved it ever since. He plans on attending The Art Institute of Atlanta after he graduates to continue his career in audio engineering and hopefully become an established music producer.

Janaye, 17, is a senior at Chapel Hill High School and will be attending Kennesaw State University in the Fall 2016 as a Marketing major. She has participated in Chorus for 8 years, starred in musicals and has been paid to sing at a wedding. Janaye plans to keep music in her life after college as a vocal coach for young students.

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DARBY AFFORD

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Darby Ufford, 17, Best High School PSA Winner, is a native of Richland, Washington, and is currently a senior at Hanford High School. In middle school, she found inspiration in photography and began taking photos of everything from urban landmarks to rural sceneries. She is an active member of her community and enjoys volunteering. In fall of 2016 she plans on attending college and double-majoring in political science and economics. Darby aspires to have a career in government or law in the future.

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MADELINE PELTZER

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Madeline Peltzer, 17, is from Phoenix, Arizona. She is the oldest of three girls and has been homeschooled all her life. Madeline has been involved in politics since she was in a stroller attending district meetings and rallies with her parents. She is a longtime volunteer with her state’s family-policy and legislative council and has worked on numerous political campaigns. She is an alumna of Patriot Academy, TeenPact Leadership Schools, and the Leadership Institute’s Youth Leadership School. In 2012 and 2014, she was blessed to win first place in Stossel in the Classroom’s national essay contest, a project of Fox Business News’ John Stossel, and was featured twice on his television program in New York City. The experience sparked an interest in free-market economics, and she has since become involved with organizations like the Mercatus Center, the Institute for Humane Studies, and Americans for Prosperity. In addition to studying classical piano for the past nine years, Madeline enjoys competitive figure skating, classical ballet, and jazz dance. She volunteers with her homeschool honor society, helps teach ballet classes to children with Down syndrome, and has assisted in teaching figure skating to students of all ages. In addition to church, she and her family are active with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). Madeline is still deciding upon a specific college and major, but she hopes to pursue her interests in classical liberal arts, government, history, and economics as well as piano and dance.

Read Essay Here.

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KATIE CROSBY

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Katie Crosby – Best High School Short Film Short Film Title: “Forthcoming Life in America” Minnesota Katie Crosby, 15, Winner of High School Short Film Contest, is from Ramsey, Minnesota. She attends PACT Charter School and is a sophomore. Some of Katie’s passions include photography and theatre. She discovered her love for theatre through her school’s performing arts program her freshman year. Her talents for acting have contributed in many productions such as Cheaper by the Dozen, the Frog Princess, and Once Upon a Shoe. Katie has two lab-pit bull mixes named Jack and Klue. Dogs have always been a part of her family and they always will be. Her personality is one of a kind. Katie is outgoing, creative, and has a drive for her passions. Katie is grateful for all of her family and friend’s support in pursuing her love for theatre and could not do it without them.

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KIRK TAYLOR, CALEB THOMAS, JONATHAN FRAZIER

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Jonathan Frazier loves to make music and is a performing rapper trying to become famous. He loves history so it is very easy for him to make a song about it. He is very happy that he won and looks forward to winning again. Caleb Theophilus Thomas was born on October 21st, 2000 to Tennis Thomas I and Earlisa Spencer-Thomas. He is a native of Dallas, Texas and currently attends Booker T Washington High School of the Performing and Visual Arts. The youngest of five brothers, he was always influenced by their generation of hip-hop culture which sparked his interest in the hip-hop genre. By the time he was in school he was getting in and out of trouble and felt like no one understood him except the bad crowd he hung out with and the rap music that they would listen too. When his parents got divorced he would begin to express his feelings on paper in short stories, then poems, then eventually rhymes. During his first year of middle school he participated in the Hip-Hop club which helped him hone his craft and value the culture as well as the music. In his 7th grade year he wrote a poem titled “Threat Since Birth” which was about the struggles of being a black man. By his 8th grade year he found his own style and mastered his flow and is now the same Caleb (stage name Roccy Montana) that you see today. Kirk D. Taylor,14, started his life of music in kindergarten, performing at P.T.M. meetings for school. Soon after he decided that his life would be dedicated to changing the world through music. The rest of elementary school he used his voice to make himself known, but not just musically. He was a finalist in the Gardeer Oratorical contest in 2010 speaking on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He also learned to play piano in 5th grade. He achieved 1st chair in the Region 20 All Region Choir both 7th and 8th grade year, He has sung for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and now he plays bass guitar. He is now learning how to play acoustics guitar and once he does he’ll just have to find himself another goal.

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LEAH RENNER

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Leah Renner, 14, Best Middle School Essay Winner, has grown up in the south suburbs of Chicago. She currently lives in Worth, Illinois where she is home schooled. Leah enjoys basketball, running, and writing for her blog. Leah participates in her church youth group and various activities through her homeschool cooperative. After finishing high school, she anticipates mission work and possibly a career in writing or voiceover.

View Essay Here.

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ANTHONY BESHIRS

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Anthony Beshirs is currently a freshman at Garland High School who learned about Constituting America’s “We The Future” contest when Janine Turner came to his middle school to speak. Anthony is inspired by the way the Constitution helps us in our every day lives. He says he learned from entering the contest that “great things can come if you put in enough time and effort.” Anthony is the recipient of an award for keeping his GPA at 3.5 or higher and is a full IB student. Anthony enjoys playing the tuba in his high school band, exercising and playing video games in his spare time and aspires to become a chemical engineer and help people through his findings.

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SONYA HELMS

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My name is Sonya Helms. I am 14 years old. I am from Cortland NY and I live on a small farm inside Cortland. I volunteer as a Jr. Member at our local fair board committee, and during the summer show my cattle and livestock at local county fairs. I play alto saxophone and I am a type one diabetic.

View Winning Work Here.

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CAMPBELL COLLINS

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Campbell Collins, 10, Best Elementary School Poem Winner, is a homeschooled 5th grader from Austin, Texas. She loves to Irish dance, swim, and write. Her favorite subjects are English and art history. Campbell is also a committed Girl Scout. In fact, she wrote this poem in order to earn a Girl Scout Constitution badge. Campbell loves to write poetry—although she admits that writing a sonnet about the separation of powers was really challenging!

Read Poem Here.

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MARIN MCKINNEY

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Marin Mckinney, 9, lives in Ballwin, Missouri. She is homeschooled and is in the fourth grade. Her favorite subject in school is reading, and she also enjoys history and math. Her favorite historical time period is the American Revolution. Marin has taken art classes every week for the last three+ years and loves it! She is passionate about art and design and hopes to someday become a professional artist. In her free time, Marin likes to create projects in her “Creation Station” and loves to play soccer. She also manages to squeeze in time to play with her two younger brothers of whom she adores! She’s thrilled to have won this award and looks forward to sharing with others the importance of the Constitution.

View Artwork Here.

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