SAN DIEGO—Freshman Erika Womack, a student at Morse High School, has found her voice through writing, fueled by a powerful dream for the future. Womack is among hundreds of students who participated in the San Diego Peace Coalition's Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Writing Contest.
Reflecting on her experience, Womack said, “As I wrote more and I started thinking about the topic and what I can use for my essay I was thinking this was a lot more than an assignment.” She chose to focus her essay on women’s empowerment, challenging the gender stereotypes she encounters in her daily life.
One of the examples Womack highlighted was the dress code disparity impacting female students: “Women are expected to have stricter restrictions because of a body they can't control…something will be assigned to certain students because of their gender. Or this is a man’s job and a man can do that better than a woman can.”
Ruben Garcia, a representative for the San Diego Peace Coalition, noted that the contest aimed to reward students who strive to keep Dr. King's dream alive by addressing contemporary challenges. “Honesty was the number one key factor we’re looking for; we didn’t want something that was randomly thrown together,” Garcia stated. “We weren’t looking for an AI type script, but for a genuine experience that they’re dealing with right now in this day and age.”
Erika Womack and four other essay winners will be recognized during a ceremony at the Calvary Baptist Church on Saturday.
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