Meet Sruthi
Gohimukkula. Sruthi is a 13 year old 8th
grader at The Academy at Lincoln in Greensboro, NC. She is the
winner of the 2009
Literary Wonders! Scholarship Project and
Scholarship. Read her winning essay below:
I think it is very important to vote for the President of the
United State. In America, we have freedom. In a lot of countries
around the world, the people are still being forced against
their will. I believe that America has come a long way to get
rid of that kind of stuff. A few decades ago, Americans didn’t
have all the freedom we have today. Especially people of color.
They were forced to sit in the back, or to go to different
buildings or even to do different things. Now, we have the
opportunity to choose our leader. And to choose the person who
helps make all the decisions. What wouldn’t people back then
give to have such an opportunity. I think that we should take an
action on this golden chance. To help secure or nation’s future;
to help elect someone that can make sure that America is the
best country that it can possibly be. Also, in America today,
different people have different opinions and views on what
should happen and who should make it happen. For example, look
at the Palin/McCain campaign versus the Obama/Biden campaign.
Both parties have different views, but their goal is the same:
to help America succeed. Americans have a tough choice to make,
but I think it is important they get to make that choice.
When you think of the President of the United States, what do
you think of? A powerful man whose job is easy and all he does
is sit around and watch other people do his job for him? Not
quite, in my opinion, having the job of President isn’t easy.
The President has so much pressure on him/her.
The countries problems are blamed on that person, even if they
had nothing to do with what was going on that particular moment.
They have to make many choices, and although they have help, the
little thought that something might go wrong is always bugging
them in the back of their head. So what is the President’s job?
I think the President’s job is to help the country succeed in
whatever they may be doing. If it’s a war, the president should
make sure that the troops have whatever they need to ensure
success. The president must help the people. Although they
cannot help each and every person, they should at least address
the bigger issues or problems. That is what I believe is the
role of the president.
If I were President, the first issue that I would vow to solve
would probably be health care. Millions of people in America are
suffering because they cannot afford a suitable health care
plan. Health insurance is a big thing in American Society. Many
people cannot afford it, and are therefore living without it. If
I were to become President, I would first address this issue
because it is such a big deal. Many families are losing a ton of
money because they don’t have a good healthcare plan to pay for
medical procedures and medicines. Another problem I would
address would be the price of oil and gas. We need to find an
alternate that our cars can run on besides oil, because
obviously, we are running out of oil rapidly. Another problem is
the war in Iraq, hundreds of people have lost their lives
already, and I think the ward needs to stop, as there is no
reason for it to continue. These are the issues I would vow to
address if I were to become President of the United States. I
think the next president should also address these issues.
As a minority, I think it is important to vote for a minority
candidate for these reasons. A minority candidate can understand
what is going in your life. They can improve your rights and can
help discrimination against minorities. Some minorities have a
good life; they have a family and decent pay, while other
minority families are struggling to keep themselves and their
families alive. Also, it is hard for minority children to go to
colleges that require pay that is high. They may not be educated
as well, and therefore cannot get academic scholarships. I go to
a school in a minority area, and I see how people in that area
live. The houses are very small, some house don’t have windows
are the windows are broken, the roof is falling apart. I have
many friends who walk to school, because their parents cannot
drive them. I think that if we, as minorities, vote for minority
candidates, then we can improve all the problems and live a
better life.
I think many of my generation have already realized that we must
step up and take action, or else America may fail. We have kid’s
voting booths to help kids understand the importance of voting
from a young age. On the news the other day, they mentioned that
Nickelodeon had a program where kids get to vote for the
presidential candidates and tell why they voted for that
particular candidate, I think that this program was very
effective and showed the difference it can make for our
country’s future. Our generation will invent many new things,
find new places to drill for oil, find eco-friendly cars, you
name it, and we can do it. But I think it’s important that we
first understand that America’s future lies in our hands.
Right now in 2008, we are facing a historical presidential race.
Where we could have the first President of color, or we may have
the first woman to ever be president. I think this election is
one of the biggest elections in history. I also think that
regardless of whoever wins, they will make a difference to our
country. Both parties have different views, different opinions,
but more or less their goal is to help America succeed. For
example, although one party wants to stop the war in Iraq and
the other party wants to continue with the war, each side has a
reason for their action. I think that although they may have
different opinions, they can change America.