By Shannon Lukens.

 

Moffat County High School senior Megan Neton has been chosen as one of the top five high school students in the state of Colorado, for the Voice of Democracy Essay Scholarship.

 

She kept hearing about the local VFW essay contest on the morning announcements at her school. She decided to enter the contest. She took first place locally, and then first place in her district.

 

 

“One of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves is advocate for ourselves. For me, that’s always been writing. So the prompt was, ‘What is the greatest attribute of our United States Democracy?’ And all I could think about was writing and how people can express their rage and their joy and all of these emotions about what the emotions they have about what the government is doing, and they can put it on the paper. And they can make people angry, or they can make people support them, and I’ve always thought that was really powerful so I wrote an essay about it.”

 

This weekend, Neton and her parents will travel to Lakewood to read her winning essay to VFW members statewide. If she wins that, Neton will advance to the national competition, where she could be eligible for a scholarship award as much as $35,000.

Neton adds, “It is an honor to have been recognized and I’m very grateful for this opportunity and my parents, to whom I read all of my writing.”

 

Megan Neton’s essay:

The Power Of The Pen

The origin of our great nation begins with one thing: words. The Declaration of Independence set the tone for the United States’ expression of ideas, beliefs, and thoughts. Throughout history, when an individual’s rights are challenged, they pick up the pen and write, expressing a mix of emotions. The key to the United States’ success as a nation is the freedom to speak and put our words onto paper and then publish. From Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to Alexander Hamilton’s Reynolds Pamphlet, words have inspired and slandered, but most importantly, have become the greatest attribute of our United States Democracy. 

For hundreds of years, the expression of beliefs through writing has influenced the United States immeasurably. Without the freedom to go against our Government through writing, the United States would not be a true reflection of its people, but instead a facade of democracy. The U.S. has led and will continue to lead the rest of the world toward democracy, allowing people the right to express their ideas, their rage, and their joy through means of written word.

The United States features a mix of cultures, individuals, and beliefs. The freedom to have different ideas is the most powerful right any American can enjoy. Instead of being taught what to believe, Americans formulate their individual opinions, leading to many different viewpoints that all improve the United States by leading to debate and discussion. Without the Founding Fathers arguing over Federalism, The Constitution would not be the powerful and indestructible document, time has shown it is. Without suffragists fighting for the right to vote, women may not have it. Without so many prominent leaders of different backgrounds fighting, writing, and advocating, the U.S. would not be where it stands today, as a beacon of liberty and hope. The mix of voices, opinions, backgrounds, and cultures that represent our country leads to the continuous betterment of our nation. 

We, as the future generation, need to protect and maintain the ideals laid out in the Constitution, especially the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and the freedom of religion. A society without these ideals is merely the birthplace of clones. The United States must nurture its unique ideals born in enlightenment, allowing all views to be heard, acknowledged, and pondered. Doing this is the only way we challenge ourselves, understand new ideas, and change in the rapidly evolving world while still holding onto the founding principles that shaped our nation. 

While words and images can separate the United States through divisive media, we are all tied under the most critical document in U.S. history, the Constitution. The Constitution does not list every American by name but instead uses the arguably more powerful words, “We, the People.” The freedom to express our ideas and publish our words will continue to be the most essential attribute of our democracy because, without it, the U.S. isn’t a democracy. In the words of John Adams, “Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.” The power of the pen has and will stand the test of time, continuing to shape our nation through the beliefs and opinions of a diverse group of citizens.