Are You a Young Shakespeare?
Do not suffer the slings and arrows of a secret gift. Absent thee from anonymity awhile and draw thy pen to write an essay.
The Ravenswood Catholic Young Adults, an organization of residents mostly in their 20s and 30s, is sponsoring an essay contest for high school students. All are eligible to participate who attend St. Benedict High School, attend one of the RCYA member-parishes or whose parent(s) are parishioner(s) in an RCYA memberparish (St. Benedict, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Matthias, Queen of Angels or Transfiguration of Our Lord).
Choose one of the following topics and compose a 250 - to 500-word essay:
- “Have you had an unexpected change or conflict in your life recently? Describe what happened and how it affected you. Provide concrete detail. Were other people involved and who were they? What was the resolution, if any, and what other changes do you expect as you look to the future?”
- “Name a person in your life—whether family member, friend, teacher, spiritual leader or someone else— who has had a big impact. How did this person influence you and why? Be specific. What is your assessment of how your relationship with him or her has changed, if at all? Do you expect a difference in your future because of him or her and why?”
E-mail your essay in a Word document—with .doc appendix to rcya_chicago@yahoo.com. Include your name, phone number and affiliation (whether you are student at St. Benedict High School or what parish you or your parent(s) belong to). Entries will be judged by Craig Barner, an RCYA member and veteran journalist; John Schmitz, also an RCYA member and Chicago Public High School teacher and freelance writer; and Fr. Terry Keehan, pastor of St. Matthias. The decision of the judges is final.
