Jalen Hill, Brittani Richards, & Kamryn Dukes

My name is Jalen Hill and I am 17 years old. I live in Oklahoma City, and attend Destiny Christian School as a Junior. My favorite subjects currently are sign language and government. I love getting to know more about how our country works, and trying to find ways to improve it. I love getting to help people whenever I can. Before attending Destiny, I was in the marching band at Moore High School. I played flute and piccolo. After switching schools, I started playing the flute for the orchestra at my church, but I had to give it up when they started remodeling. After high school I plan to attend college in Oklahoma.

My name is Brittani Richards, I’m 16 years old and a junior at Destiny Christian School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I’m on the Varsity cheerleading squad and softball team. In my free time I enjoy playing the guitar and learning about history and seeing how much it has changed throughout the years. I am learning how to speak Spanish and French. I am very active in my church Unity Christian Center where I am a praise dancer and I run the audio visuals and sounds system.

My name is Kamryn Dukes, I’m 17 years old. I am a junior at Destiny Christian School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. My favorite subjects are drama and choir. In the future my plan is to go to college to become a lawyer. I want to study to be a prosecuting lawyer and eventually open my very own law firm. My hobbies include songwriting and singing. I am currently singing on the praise and worship team at school, and also in my school choir. Music has always been a huge part of my life. I was so excited to learn that our team won the contest for our category! It was extremely fun being able to blend music with our classwork. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to express myself through songwriting and singing!

Listen to their Winning Song Below:

Our Interview Brittani, Jalen & Kamryn: 

Brittani Richards: 

What about your winning contest entry do you think is the most eye-grabbing? We’re looking for the best “clickbait” to get people to open your work on social media!

The beat that plays when the song starts.

Our Interview With Brittani

Was this the first time you entered the contest? 

Yes, it was the first time I entered.

How did you hear about the contest?

My history teacher Mrs.Fellers told my class about it.

What inspired your work?

The idea of getting to voice how I feel about the first amendment.

What did you learn while creating your entry?

More about my rights about the freedom of speech, how I’m allowed to say what I want as long as it does not infringe on someone else’s rights.

How do you plan to spread the word this year to your peers about the importance of the U.S. Constitution?

Encouraging them to learn more about their rights that the first amendments list for them.

How do your friends respond to history or talking about the Constitution?

They respond pretty well, we have different opinions on something but we find common ground between us.

What do you love about U.S. History and the forming of our government?

The things I love about U.S. history is that it shows the struggle of the USA came to be and how we got to where we are. What I love about the forming of the government is how it stood on protecting the well-being of humans.

Which U.S. historical site would you like to visit?

National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Which American historical figure is most influential/inspirational to you?

Jackie Robinson

Who is your greatest role model?

My mother 

What in your life are you most passionate about?

The thing I’m most passionate about softball and how I can keep improving myself at it.

How do you spend your free time?

Listening to music and reading.

What are your plans for the future?

Go to college to be an ultrasound technician and travel across the world.

If you could do one super impactful thing to help people, what would it be?

To donate, whether it be blood, money or clothes.

Why is the Constitution relevant today?

It sets the fundamental law of the U.S. federal government, and it helps with preventing a majority from taking rights away from minorities.

Jalen Hill: 

What about your winning contest entry do you think is the most eye-grabbing? We’re looking for the best “clickbait” to get people to open your work on social media!

I think the line about sending a note to Congress is a good one and could be used to get people’s attention. When you hear it all by itself it makes you want to know why.

Our Interview With Jalen

Was this the first time you entered the contest?

Yes. 

How did you hear about the contest?

Our teacher told us about it

What inspired your work?

Our teacher informed us about the contest, and made it an assignment for the class.

What did you learn while creating your entry?

I learned more about what is necessary in creating a song. When we first started, I had no idea what to do. As we got into it more, I began to understand how to put the words to the music.

How do you plan to spread the word this year to your peers about the importance of the U.S. Constitution?

I like telling my friends who are not in government class all of the cool things that I learn. I want people my age to see the fun aspects of government rather than the boring parts. One fun fact about government is that it is not a democracy, or a republic, it is a Constitutional Republic. That means that the people vote on representatives and follow the Constitution.

How do your friends respond to history or talking about the Constitution?

Some of my friends think that government is boring, but the ones who are taking government class with me are more likely to question, debate, or support my ideas as well as provide new perspectives on the topic.

What do you love about U.S. History and the forming of our government?

I think the most interesting thing about how our government was founded is that the American people had to be ruled by a tyrant first. If they had not, our country would be so much different than it is today

Which U.S. historical site would you like to visit?

I think it would be cool to see the Statue of Liberty.

Which American historical figure is most influential/inspirational to you?

The most inspirational figure to me would be George Washington. He commanded the army and led the entirety of the American people. He was respected by everyone around him, not just because of his status, but because he earned their respect.

Who is your greatest role model?

I don’t think that there has been a greatest role model in my life. I learn from the flaws of others, as well as learn from the good that they have done. My role model would be the people as a whole, rather than one person.

What in your life are you most passionate about?

I care the most about the people around me. To me, the welfare and happiness of the majority of the people is to be preserved over my own. I enjoy working with other people in order to come to a common goal because that bonds us together in a way that can not be attributed to a simple friendship. 

How do you spend your free time?

I spend most of my time reading books, doing crossword puzzles, watching tv, and gardening with my grandpa.

What are your plans for the future?

I want to go to college and get a master’s degree in library sciences. Then I want to be a librarian at some university or college.

If you could do one super impactful thing to help people, what would it be?

I’ve always wanted to help the homeless people, whether that is supplying them with a job, food, necessary medicines, or moral support. I see homeless people whenever we go out to the city and it makes me sad to think about myself in their situation.

Why is the Constitution relevant today?

The Constitution is a set of rules that the government has to follow, as well as a book of rights that we as humans have. The Constitution protected unalienable rights when it was first established, and protects those rights today.

PRINT ARTICLE