Senator Haskell Names Winners of District-Wide High School Essay Contest

Today, State Senator Will Haskell (D-Westport) announced the winners of a high school essay contest he organized for students living and learning in the 26th Senate District. Earlier this year, Sen. Haskell asked high school students to write essays based on the prompt “As an elected official, I would fight for…” Students submitted short pieces describing what they would focus on if they were elected to office, discussing both the civic benefits they could provide to their communities and the issues that matter most in their lives.

• Audrey Keener of Bethel High School won first place, writing about changes she would make to improve educational inequality.
• Chloe Ashton of Staples High School won second place, writing about changes she would make to the electoral college.
• Sean Donohue of Bethel High School won third place, writing about changes he would make to protect the environment.

“I decided to launch this essay contest to help give young people a voice in the political process” said Sen. Haskell. “I wanted to hear directly from them about how I could best serve our community in the State Senate. I learned a lot from all of their essays, and I’m feeling more optimistic than ever about Connecticut’s future. I have no doubt that I’ll see some of these young leaders in Hartford soon.”

The essays are available to read online.