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“Yet She Is Advancing” 2023 National Student Writing Content Winners Selected

NEW ORLEANS — Out of more than 450 students, The Historic New Orleans Collection’s (THNOC) selected 10 high school and middle school students in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Washington as the winners of the 2023 annual Student Writing Content.

High School Winners

  • First Place: Amara Nwabueze, Zachary High School, Zachary, LA

  • Second Place: Ty’Leah Briggs, St. Katherine Drexel Preparatory, New Orleans, LA

  • Third Place: Iris Xue, The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus, MS

  • Honorable Mention: Phoebe Fannin, Zachary High School, Zachary, LA

  • Honorable Mention: Mia Scott, Zachary High School in Zachary, LA

Middle School Winners

  • First Place: Victoria Foster, home-school, Round Rock, TX

  • Second Place: Benjamin Wu, Narrows View Intermediate, University Place, WA

  • Third Place: Noah Hochron, Bricolage Academy, New Orleans, LA

  • Honorable Mention: Aenea Hester, Audubon Charter School, New Orleans, LA

  • Honorable Mention: Sophia Foster, home-school, Round Rock, TX

It has been 100 years since the passage of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. For this year’s Student Writing Contest, The Historic New Orleans Collection asked students to answer a series of thought-provoking questions in the form of a letter to African American educator, activist and leader, Sylvanie Williams. In this letter, they expressed their feelings on the status of rights and freedoms in the United States from 1920 until today.

“With more than 450 submissions from students around the country, we were blown away by the passion, creativity and research reflected in the letters to Williams.” says Daniel Hammer, THNOC executive director.

The winners received cash prizes and are invited to attend a special opening reception to THNOC’s upcoming exhibition, “Yet She Is Advancing: Women and the Right to Vote: 1878-1970.”

To read the winning submissions, visit hnoc.org.

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About The Historic New Orleans Collection

Founded in 1966, The Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center and publisher dedicated to the stewardship of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. For more information, visit www.hnoc.org, call (504) 523-4662, or follow THNOC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Alicia Vial