Radford High School students Lexi Rader (left) and Kelly Carrow (right) celebrate their first and second place wins respectively in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy essay contest with VFW Post 776 Commander Gary Harris and VFW members Dana Jackson and John Fox at Radford High School. The Voice of Democracy essay contest was established in 1947, and is an audio-essay program in which high school students express their thoughts on a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. According to the VFW, each year nearly 40,000 9-12 grade students from across the country enter to win their share of more than $1.9 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program.
The national first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. A complete list of other national scholarships range from $1,000-$16,000, and the first-place winner from each VFW Department (state) wins a minimum scholarship of $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.
The 2019-20 theme was “What Makes America Great.”
