VGCC students encouraged to enter Martin Luther King essay contest
Vance-Granville Community College students are invited to submit essays for the college’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebration, which is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013 at 11 a.m. in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.
For the fourth year in a row, the program will feature several VGCC students delivering original essays. This year’s essay topic is inspired by a speech Dr. King delivered in Washington, D.C. in 1958, in which he urged his audience, “Make a career of humanity and you will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in.”
The question to be answered in each essay is: “How do you plan to make a career of humanity?” Essays will refer to the writer’s personal experience and observations, but also to the life, times and writings of Dr. King.
The students submitting the top three entries will be selected to deliver their speeches during the program. At that time, a panel of judges will award cash prizes to the contestants: for first place, $75; for second place, $50; and for third place, $25. Previous winners of the contest include Warren Early College High School student Shirlecia Hunt of Norlina in 2010, College Transfer student Katina Harris of Warrenton in 2011, and Practical Nursing student Nicolette Lee of Wendell in 2012.
Students who wish to enter the contest must submit their speeches in writing to Elizabeth Gray, in Building 9, Office 9100 on Main Campus by noon on Friday, January 11, 2013. For more information, contact Elizabeth Gray at (252) 738-3332 or gray@vgcc.edu .
The speeches are a highlight of the annual VGCC event, which will also include inspirational music and remarks by the president of the college, Dr. Stelfanie Williams. The celebration is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the local ACTS (Area Christians Together In Service) organization. As an added bonus, all attendees who donate a food item will have a chance to take home some fantastic door prizes.
Above: VGCC/Vance County Early College High School student Etasha Cheek delivers her speech at the Martin Luther King celebration in Jan. 2012. (VGCC photo)
