Kelsey Secondary School student Sarah Willson's essay on the meaning of Remembrance Day has earned her third place among thousands of entries from across the Royal Canadian Legion's BC/Yukon command.
She received a special certificate and a cheque for $150 last Sunday at the Legion's Duncan Branch #53, to the applause of her family and a large crowd of Legion members.
Youth committee chair Marvin Thorgeirson said that Willson's journey to the upper echelon has seen her enter her essay locally in the Valley last year, where she won first place, then duplicate that win at South Vancouver Island Zone and then go on to BC/Yukon level. There, she emerged in third place, he said.
Willson plans to attend the University of Victoria with the aim of earning a Fine Arts degree in creative writing.
Her essay called on everyone to think with respect of the families of fallen soldiers and try to relate their daily struggles with our own lives.