Mila Acosta-Morales, a senior at Central Bucks West High School, is the winner of the Department of Pennsylvania American Legion Essay scholarship contest.
As part of the essay contest, students are provided an opportunity to showcase their talents and abilities in English by using originality, accuracy and research as evidence, while learning that the responsibilities and duties of good citizenship can be both rewarding and fun. Any student enrolled in grades nine through 12 in a public, private or parochial, cyber school or who is home schooled in Pennsylvania is eligible to participate.
This year’s topic was “What does Americanism mean to me?”
Mila Acosta-Morales won American Legion Post 210’s local essay contest and the district competition against over 30 area Posts before winning the state competition.
She received a standing ovation from the Post 210 membership after she read her essay to members at one of the Post’s regular membership meetings.
“When my parents and grandparents left Cuba, they fled as refugees, my grandfather a first-hand victim of the political oppression all too well known in Communist regimes. … In my family, Americanism will always mean freedom,” Acosta-Morales wrote. “It will mean sacrifice, but it will also mean opportunity. It will mean a chance to make something of ourselves, and a chance to dream. “
Her grandfather was sent to a prison and work camp for several years.
“When he was finally released, the government barred him from studying writing in college. Why? Because they could. Because that is what the absence of freedom looks like,” she wrote.
“Americanism doesn’t represent one person or one action, one injustice from our history, or even one marvelous accomplishment. Americanism is an ideal that we should all strive towards. It’s a shared spirit of dedication, of hard work, and of pride. It’s what immigrants like my grandfather, and people from around the world, will leave almost everything behind to pursue. Americanism is freedom.”
In a letter of recommendation, CB West’s Brian Weaver said: “The highest praise I can reserve for one of my students is to say that I hope my daughters grow up to be just like her. That’s the regard in which I hold Mila.”
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