Local student places in national contest

Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Theresa Schafer

Although initially hesitant about her project for The Voice of Democracy, it ultimately won Theresa Schafer a national ranking and college scholarship.

The Fort Scott Christian Heights junior recently finished eighth in the nation and won a $3,500 scholarship to the college of her choice for her entry in the nationwide audio essay competition for students in grades nine through 12. Begun in 1947, the contest is a joint program of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Ladies Auxiliary.

Schafer said she "didn't want to do an audio essay at first" because she "never liked the sound of my voice," but her mom talked her into writing and recording what would be an award-winning essay.

"I eventually just buckled down and did it," she said.

Each year, more than 50,000 students reflect on a theme regarding American ideals, values and characteristics. This year, 365 students from Kansas pondered and wrote on the theme "Does My Generation Have a Role in America's Future?" Schafer recorded her five-minute audio essay at KMDO/KOMB radio in Fort Scott.

She was one of four students to win a $3,500 scholarship at the national competition.

Schafer, who won first place at the local, district and state level, traveled to Washington, D.C., last week for the national Voice of Democracy competition, where students were also able to meet the nation's leaders, tour the city, and participate in other activities.

"It was amazing, it was wonderful," she said. "We saw a lot of the sights."

At the national contest, judges reviewed applicants' essays and awarded scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $30,000.

Schafer said she was "really excited" about her eighth place finish nationally and to be part of the national competition.

"I was just supremely happy to be there at nationals," she said.

In Schafer's essay, titled "Production: Past, Present and Future," she outlined how the decisions of the nation's founding fathers impact the choices that she and her classmates make every day.

"The task of making America a better place is a performance we're all characters in," she said. "We all write our own scripts ... All those scripts together make up a big production."

She also wrote about how the past has shaped America's present, the nation's founding fathers and other influential people in U.S. history, and "how those characters have shaped America today."

Schafer said her knowledge of U.S. history and her involvement in History Day competitions each year helped her write the essay, which she said was read through and edited several times before it was recorded. Staff at the Lowell Milken Center helped by providing suggestions and editing, she said.

In November, Schafer's essay advanced from the local post level where she was awarded a $100 savings bond, to the district competition in Kansas City, where she was named the first place winner of District Two and awarded a $300 savings bond.

At the state awards banquet in McPherson in January, the Kansas Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars announced Schafer as the first-place winner of the Voice of Democracy scholarship for the state. Her essay was named the best of the nine districts in Kansas. She is the first entrant from Fort Scott to advance to the national finals and was the only entrant at the local level.

VFW Post No. 1165 Commander Clint Walker, local contest chairman, said Schafer was a unanimous winner at the district level.

"We had an outstanding applicant and it worked out for us," he said. "What an outstanding essay."

Walker said he and his wife attended the state awards banquet, as did at least 200 other people, including representatives of the VFW National Headquarters in Kansas City, Mo.

"After she read her essay, there was a standing ovation and people with tears in their eyes," Walker said.

For her victory at the state level, Schafer received a $1,000 scholarship from the VFW Department of Kansas, a VFW jacket and lapel pin, as well as an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the national competition.

Schafer said she is not sure yet which college she will attend, but she is considering St. Louis University. She plans to visit several colleges this spring and has not decided on a major.

Schafer is the daughter of William James and Francy Schafer and the granddaughter of Terry Schafer.