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Student Essay Scholarships (6)
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is proud to announce the 11 winners and six honorable mentions of the 2023 Kenneth L. Proulx Memorial Essay Contest for Ongoing College Students. FFRF has paid out a total of $17,400 in award money to this year’s college contest winners.
Currently enrolled college students (up to age 24) wrote on the topic of “What I would tell Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene about the harm of Christian nationalism.” They penned essays, in the form of a letter, telling Greene why her espousal of Christian nationalism is antithetical to secular American principles.
This contest is named for Kenneth L. Proulx, FFRF’s most generous benefactor, who died in 2019. The cupola at Freethought Hall, FFRF’s office in Madison, Wis., is called the “Above Us Only Sky Kenneth L. Proulx Cupola,” or “Ken’s Cupola” for short.
The $1,000 prize for sixth place in the ongoing college competition is generously endowed by actor and FFRF Lifetime Member Mr. Madison Arnold. Arnold, who is 87, has given a $30,000 endowment as a living bequest, what he calls a “pre-quest.”
Essay contest winners, their ages, the colleges or universities they are attending and the award amounts are listed below, and winning essays are reprinted or excerpted in this issue.
FIRST PLACE
Skylar Blumenauer, 18, George Washington University, $3,500. Read Skylar's Speech Here.
SECOND PLACE
Brooke Langis, 19, Clark University, $3,000. Read Brooke's Essay Here.
THIRD PLACE
Jessica Oakes, 21, Ferris State University, $2,500. Read Jessica's Essay Here.
FOURTH PLACE
Catherine Laver, 19, University of British Columbia, $2,000. Read Catherine's Essay Here.
FIFTH PLACE
Sophie Godin, 20, St. Francis Xavier University, $1,500. Read Sophie's Essay Here.
SIXTH PLACE (MR. MADISON ARNOLD WINNER)
Peter Huerta, 24, Guttman Community College, $1,000. Read Peter's Essay Here.
SEVENTH PLACE
Valentina Jaeger, 20, University of Central Missouri, $750. Read Valentina's Essay Here.
Montana Stake, 24, Southern New Hampshire University, $750. Read Montana's Essay Here.
EIGHTH PLACE
Sophie Olson, 21, University of Minnesota, $500. Read Sophie's Essay Here.
NINTH PLACE
Ted Kwee-Bintoro, 19, University of Pennsylvania, $400. Read Ted's Essay Here.
TENTH PLACE
Aubrey Echard, 22, Kennesaw State University, $300. Read Aubrey's Essay Here.
HONORABLE MENTIONS ($200 each)
Read Essays from all Honorable Mentions Here.
Evan Brown, 19, University of Missouri – Columbia.
Matthew Quall, 21, University of Washington – Seattle.
Gary Ramee, Jr., 23, Louisiana State University.
Katherine Shaw, 20, University of Kentucky.
Jeremy Yiu, 20, University of California-Davis.
Madison Zitlaw, 20, Indiana University.
FFRF also thanks Lisa Treu for managing the details of this and FFRF’s other student essays competitions. And we couldn’t judge these contests without our volunteer and staff judges, including: Don Ardell, Dan Barker, David Chivers, Jon S. Galehouse, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Russell Gibson, Ricki Grunberg, Tim Hatcher, Linda Josheff, Dan Kettner, Brianna Knoppow, Sammi Lawrence, Gloria Marquardt, Chris O’Connell, Andrea Osburne, JoAnn Papich, Sue Schuetz, Rose Mary Sheldon, PJ Slinger and Chance Wimberly.
FFRF has offered essay competitions to college students since 1979, high school students since 1994, grad students since 2010, one for students of color since 2016 and a fifth contest for law students since 2019.
“Christian nationalism is becoming more and more of a destabilizing force in this country,” says FFRf Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “We were heartened by the essays showing the younger generation is prepared to counter this undemocratic movement.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 40,000 members across the country. FFRF protects the constitutional separation between state and church and educates about nontheism.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is proud to announce the 10 top winners and eight honorable mentions in the 2023 Cornelius Vander Broek Grad/“Older” Student Essay Competition.
FFRF has paid out a total of $18,050 in award money for this contest. Students were asked to write on the topic of “Is secularism the ‘savior’ of American democracy?”
The winners, their ages, the colleges or universities they are attending and the award amount are listed below.
FIRST PLACE
Sung Bin Roh, 24, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, $3,500. Read Sung's Essay Here.
SECOND PLACE
Sam McCullough, 25, University of Washington’s Information School, $3,000. Read Sam's Essay Here.
THIRD PLACE
Shea Dunlop, 24, Pace University, $2,500. Read Shea's Essay Here.
FOURTH PLACE
Stephanie Zamarripa, 27, Harvard Divinity School, $2,000. Read Stephanie's Essay Here.
FIFTH PLACE
Sukhvir Singh, 25, Rutgers Law School, $1,500. Read Sukhvir's Essay Here.
SIXTH PLACE (tie)
Katelyn Grant, 23, La Roche University, $1,000. Read Katelyn's Essay Here.
Jacob Jackson, 27, Blinn College, $1,000. Read Jacob's Essay Here.
SEVENTH PLACE
Marah Sabbah, 23, UCLA, $750. Read Marah's Essay Here.
EIGHTH PLACE
William Rabbermann, 23, Missouri University of Science and Technology, $500. Read William's Essay Here.
NINTH PLACE
Zachary Mota, 29, Case Western Reserve University, $400. Read Zachary's Essay Here.
TENTH PLACE
Ryan Slaughter, 24, Texas A&M University, Bush School, $300.
HONORABLE MENTIONS ($200 each)
Read Essays from all Honorable Mentions Here.
Jesse Chen, 30, Wayne State University.
Anthony Corbo, 29, Florida Atlantic University.
Dylan Custer, 26, Daytona State College.
Karla Goodwin, 29, Southern New Hampshire University.
Alexia Shand, 28, Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Zoe Sirotiak, 26, Iowa State University.
Bo Thompson, 28, Sonoma State.
Sabrina Whitney, 26, California State University, Sacramento.
FFRF thanks Lisa Treu for managing the details of this and FFRF’s other student essays competitions. And we couldn’t judge these contests without our volunteer and staff judges, including: Don Ardell, Dan Barker, David Chivers, Jon S. Galehouse, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Russell Gibson, Ricki Grunberg, Tim Hatcher, Linda Josheff, Dan Kettner, Brianna Knoppow, Sammi Lawrence, Gloria Marquardt, Chris O’Connell, Andrea Osburne, JoAnn Papich, Sue Schuetz, Rose Mary Sheldon, PJ Slinger and Chance Wimberly.
FFRF has offered essay competitions to college students since 1979, high school students since 1994, grad students since 2010, one for students of color since 2016 and a fifth contest for law students since 2019.
“These students are making strides to be future leaders of the secular movement,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Elevating their voices will spotlight how younger generations are speaking up against Christian nationalism.”
More detailed bios and short essays by the winning students will appear in the upcoming December issue of Freethought Today, FFRF’s lively 24-page (almost) monthly newspaper.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 40,000 members across the country. FFRF protects the constitutional separation between state and church and educates about nontheism.
For Graduate Students to age 30 or Undergrads 25 to 30
First Place, Brian Bolton Award — $3,000
Second Place — $2,000
Third Place — $1,000
Fourth Place — $75o
Fifth Place — $500
Sixth Place — $400
Honorable Mention(s) — $200
“WHY 'RELIGIOUS LIBERTY' DOES NOT MEAN THE RIGHT TO IMPOSE YOUR RELIGION ON OTHERS”
Eligibility: Currently enrolled graduate student up to age 30, or undergrads ages 25-30, attending a North American college or university, including but not limited to someone graduating or earning a degree in Spring or Summer 2014.
Topic: Write a persuasive analysis of the newest danger to the Establishment Clause: The radical redefinition of “religious freedom” to include the right to impose one’s religious beliefs on others. Research and include at least some examples, such as religious litigants opposing Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate or states passing laws to allow businesses to decline services to same-sex couples based on religious objections, or other issues, such as statutes exempting faith-healing parents from prosecution. Or analyze what’s right or wrong with the Supreme Court’s ruling this summer in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby (in which a corporation claims its “religious beliefs” are violated by permitting employees to exercise their own freedom of conscience).
Length: 750 to 1,000 words. Include word count. Submit typed, double-spaced essay with standard margins.
Other Requirements: Choose own title. Do not include resumé. Please staple and place your name and essay title on each page. Include a separate paragraph identifying your age, birthdate, hometown, college or university, year in school or degree being earned, previous degree(s) earned, major and interests. Include your name, mailing address, phone number(s), and e-mail address. Winners may be asked to send verification of student enrollment. Essay must be submitted both by mail and e-mail by deadline (see below).
Dean & Dorea Schramm, FFRF members, are offering a $100 bonus to any student winner who is a member of FFRF, a secular student club or the Secular Student Alliance, at the time the essay is submitted. Join SSA free online at: www.secularstudents.org, under donate. To be eligible for the bonus, be sure to specify in your bio whether you belong to FFRF, a secular student club (please name) or have joined SSA online.
By entering contest, students agree to have winning essays printed in full or in part in Freethought Today, FFRF’s newspaper, and later posted online at FFRF’s website. Winners agree to promptly provide a photograph suitable for reproduction with their essay. Winners will receive a school-year subscription to Freethought Today. All eligible non-winning students will be offered a subscription or a freethought book. Note: FFRF monitors for plagiarism.
Deadline: Postmarked no later than July 15, 2014. Winners announced in September. Mailing specifications: Send both by email and mail, no later than July 15, 2014. Email your essay no later than midnight, July 15, 2014, to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Use the word “essay” and your first and last name in the subject heading. Example: Essay: (Your full name). Also mail (postmarked by July 15, 2014) to:
Graduate/Older Student Essay Competition
FFRF
PO Box 750
Madison WI 53701
The competition is generously endowed by Brian Bolton, an FFRF Lifetime Member who is a retired psychologist, humanist minister and university professor emeritus at the University of Arkansas.
35th Annual College Student Essay Contest (2014)
FOR Currently enrolled COLLEGE STUDENTS UNDER AGE 25
First Place, Michael Hakeem Memorial Award — $3,000
Second Place — $2,000
Third Place — $1,000
Fourth Place — $75o
Fifth Place — $500
Sixth Place — $400
Honorable Mention(s) — $200
“My atheist/unbeliever 'coming out' story”
Eligibility: Currently-enrolled college student under age 25, currently attending a North American college or university at least through spring or summer 2014. (Undergraduates over age 25: please enter the FFRF Graduate/Older Student Essay Competition. College-bound high school seniors enter FFRF High School Contest.)
Topic: Use a personal (first-person) approach about how and why you came out as a nonbeliever (freethinker, atheist, agnostic, skeptic). Include some intellectual analysis of why you reject religion. If you grew up without religion, you may wish to describe your experiences being open as an atheist or nonbeliever with religious classmates or society. If raised with religion, tell us how and why you thought your way out of religion. You may wish to include experiences with activism.
Length: 700 to 900 words. Include word count. Submit typed, double-spaced essay with standard margins.
Other Requirements: Choose your own title. Do not include a resume. Please staple. Place your name and essay title on each page. Include a separate paragraph identifying your age and birthdate, hometown, college or university, year in school or degree being earned, major and interests. Include your name, mailing address, contact phone number(s), and email address. Winners may be asked to send verification of student enrollment. Essay must be submitted both by mail and e-mail by deadline (see below).
Dean & Dorea Schramm, FFRF members, are offering a $100 bonus to any student winner who is a member of FFRF, a secular student club or the Secular Student Alliance, at the time the essay is submitted. Join SSA free online at: www.secularstudents.org, under donate. To be eligible for the bonus, be sure to specify in your bio whether you belong to FFRF, a secular student club (please name) or have joined SSA online.
By entering contest, students agree to have winning essays printed in full or in part in Freethought Today, FFRF’s newspaper, and later posted online at FFRF’s website. Winners agree to promptly provide a photograph suitable for reproduction with their essay. Winners will receive a school-year subscription to Freethought Today. All eligible non-winning students will be offered a subscription or a freethought book. Note: FFRF monitors for plagiarism.
Deadline: Postmarked no later than June 15, 2014. Winners will be announced in September.
Mailing specifications: Send both by email (see below) and mail. Email your essay no later than midnight, June 15, 2014, to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Use the word “essay” and your first and last name in the subject heading. Example: Essay: (Your full name). Please include a copy of everything indicated in requirements. Also mail postmarked no later than June 15, 2014, to:
College Essay Competition
FFRF
PO Box 750
Madison WI 53701
About Michael Hakeem: Prof. Hakeem, a sociologist, was an FFRF officer and active atheist known by generations of University of Wisconsin-Madison students for fine-tuning their reasoning abilities.
FFRF William J. Schulz Memorial High School Seniors Essay Contest
Written by Super User20th Annual High School Seniors Essay Contest 2014
Send both by email and mail, no later than June 1, 2014. Email your essay no later than midnight, June 1, 2014, to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
FOR COLLEGE-BOUND HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
First Place: William J. Schulz Memorial Award — $3,000
Second Place — $2,000
Third Place — $1,000
Fourth Place — $75o
Fifth Place — $500
Sixth Place — $400
Honorable Mention(s) — $200
DESCRIBE "A MOMENT WHEN YOU STOOD UP FOR FREETHOUGHT/SECULARISM"
Eligibility: North American high school senior who graduates in spring 2014, going to college in fall 2014.
Topic: Write from a personal perspective about your activism or include memorable challenges you’ve faced as a nonbelieving teenager, in your family, your high school or community. Explain how and why you’ve spoken up for freethought and/or secular government in the classroom, at school events, in government or your personal life. Include at least some intellectual analysis of what led you to reject religion and/or why you care about keeping religion out of public schools/ government.
Length: 500 to 700 words. Include word count. Submit typed, double-spaced essay with standard margins.
Other Requirements: Choose your own title. Do not include a resumé. Please staple. Place your name and essay title on each page. Include a separate paragraph identifying your age, birthdate, hometown, the college or university you will be attending in the fall, intended major and interests or high school achievements. Include your name, mailing address, phone number(s), and e-mail address. Winners may be asked to send verification of student enrollment. Essay must be submitted both by mail and e-mail by deadline (see below).
Dean & Dorea Schramm, FFRF members, are offering a $100 bonus to any student winner who is a member of FFRF, a secular student club or the Secular Student Alliance, at the time the essay is submitted. Join SSA free online at: www.secularstudents.org, under donate. To be eligible for the bonus, be sure to specify in your bio whether you belong to FFRF, a secular student club (please name) or have joined SSA online.
By entering contest, you agree to have winning essays printed in full or in part in Freethought Today, FFRF’s newspaper, and later posted online at FFRF’s website. Winners agree to promptly provide a photograph suitable for reproduction with their essay. Winners will receive a school-year subscription to Freethought Today. All eligible non-winning students will be offered a subscription or a freethought book. Note: FFRF monitors for plagiarism.
Deadline: Postmarked no later than June 1, 2014. Winners announced in August.
Mailing specifications: Send both by email and mail, no later than June 1, 2014. Email your essay no later than midnight, June 1, 2014, to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Use the word “essay” and your first and last name in the subject heading. Example: Essay: (Your full name). Also mail, postmarked no later than June 1, 2014 to:
High School Essay Contest
FFRF
PO Box 750
Madison WI 53701
About William J. Schulz: This competition is endowed by William J. Schulz, a member of FFRF who died at 57, was a farm boy who became a chemical engineer and built paper-producing mills around the world. He cared deeply about FFRF’s work.