Astha Savalia – Winner, Best Poem

Astha Savalia is a fifth grader from Naperville, Illinois. She proudly serves on the Student Council, plays viola in her school orchestra. and plays chess in an afterschool club. She has already completed over 25 hours of community service during this school year and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down! Astha is actively involved with the InsideOut Club DuPage, local food pantries, Feed My Starving Children, and the Conservation Foundation. She has been learning Spanish in a dual language classroom since Kindergarten and is now almost fluent! She also enjoys Tae Kwon Do, swimming, and rock climbing. Astha loves spending time with her friends and family and keeps them laughing with her funny skits and jokes.

Click here to read Astha’s winning poem!

Our Interview With Astha

Was this the first time you entered the contest?
Yes

How did you hear about the contest?
My mom read about it during a visit to our local public library.

What inspired your work?
Ms. Faria, the librarian, helped me find books about the Constitution. The checks and balances system really stood out to me.

What did you learn while creating your entry?
I got a better understanding of the Constitution and how power was balanced across the three branches of government. This prevented any one person or group from having too much power.

How do you plan to spread the word this year to your peers about the importance of the U.S Constitution?
I plan to share my poem at the library and in my classroom. Hopefully that will encourage more kids to learn more about the Constitution and maybe enter the contest.

How do your friends respond to history or talking about the Constitution?
We just started learning about it at school. There is a lot more to learn and talk about. I think most of us are eager to learn more.

What do you love about U.S History and the forming of our government?
I love that we are a democracy and that all citizens have a voice.

Which U.S. historical site would you like to visit?
I would like to visit Washington DC for the first time and get a tour of the White House.

Which American historical figure is most influential/inspirational to you?
Abraham Lincoln. Illinois is known as the Land of Lincoln and he is one of my favorite presidents.

Who is your greatest role model?
It’s hard to pick my greatest role model. So many people inspire me.

What in your life are you most passionate about?
Spending time with my friends and family is really fun for me. I also love to travel.

How do you spend your free time?
I like to volunteer and participate in martial arts.

What are your plans for the future?
I hope to become an engineer.

If you could do one super impactful thing to help people, what would it be?
End hunger. We have a surplus of food, yet people are still dying of starvation every day.

Why is the Constitution relevant today?
Our founding fathers wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights so that it could live on and continue to be improved and changed as time passed. I think the Constitution is one of the reasons our country is so great.

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