Blair Students Reach Dr. Martin Luther King Essay Contest Finals

Two students from Blair High School were among the finalists in the Pasadena MLK Coalition essay writing contest. As two of the nine finalists, Johanna Dickie and Patsy Estrada will be participating in the next round of the competition on Tuesday, December 11 where they will be required to read their writings.

The readings will be held at the Altadena Elementary School at 6:30 pm. The top winners will go on to present their essays at an event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in January.

After reviewing the many contest entries, the Pasadena MLK Coalition selected Blair students for having some of the best essays.

According to the Coalition, everyone who entered the contest is a winner as they received have some amazing essays and art work submitted this year. “In the past, each new wave of student writers has raised the bar of excellence higher, and this year was no different!,” Pasadena MLK said on its Web site.

Among the topics given to the contestants were, “What are our young people thinking in this new era of bipartisanship and strife in our globalized world?” and “What do they think about our local community and efforts to uphold the rights and opportunities for all individuals equally?”

For over 25 years, the Coalition has held this contest, which now including essay and art categories.

The Pasadena MLK Community Coalition says it is a grassroots volunteer organization supporting the education of local youth and keeping Dr. King’s dream alive Over the past 26 years, the coalition has sponsored the Martin Luther King Essay contest encouraging students in the Pasadena Unified School District and local private schools to write essays addressing different aspects of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.