Congratulations to Deer Lakes junior Liz Palmer who earned second place in the Benjamin Franklin Scholar Essay Contest!

Junior students across Pennsylvania are eligible to enter the essay contest, which prompted participants to analyze a quote by Benjamin Franklin and connect it to modern-day society. Liz wrote about "how Benjamin Franklin's pull to his roots reflect today’s feelings of nostalgia, the pull of home, and the need for connection."

"It meant a lot to me to win this award, because it really validated me and my ability to write," Liz said. "I feel like the most challenging thing to develop in my essay was an insightful commentary based on my evidence. It's always been hard for me to create insightful commentary, especially when it comes to something so important like obtaining money for college."

Liz credited Dr. Mann, her AP Language Arts teacher, with developing her writing skills throughout this school year.

"Dr. Mann was there every step of the way to tweak my essay and tell me what to expand on so that I could have a chance at winning," Liz said.

Earning second place and scholarship money has encouraged Liz to participate in more essay contests.

"I feel like this really pushes me to pursue other scholarships," Liz said. "Some students get scared of the word 'essay' and end up leaving the money because they don't believe their writing is good. This has given me a lot of confidence in my writing, and I believe I can win more scholarships in the future with my writing."