Physicians for Social Responsibility
Sacramento Chapter

2008 High School Scholarship Essay Contest

Announcement of Winners in

2008 High School Scholarship Essay Contest

The Sacramento Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility congratulates the winners of the 2008 PSR/Sacramento Scholarship Essay Contest. These students were chosen from a field of 114 entries for their outstanding essays based on this year's prompt:

“War is a racket…in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.”
--Marine Corps Medal of Honor Winner, Major General Smedley Butler

First Place - Dennis Zheng, Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay
Hear Dennis' interview on the May 5 Insight program

Second Place - Margaret Freiwald, Mira Loma High School, Sacramento

Third Place - Mateo Fabersunne, Dixon High School, Dixon

The other finalists are:

James Allen, Amador High School, Sutter Creek

Benjamin Drahmann, Union Mine High School, Diamond Springs

Jennifer Kocsis, Davis Senior High School, Davis

Jeanne Sabin, Elk Grove High School, Elk Grove

Bianca Taylor, C.K. McClatchy High School, Sacramento

Marshall Weintraub, Davis Senior High School, Davis

Kristine Yoshihara, Mira Loma High School, Sacramento

To read their essay, please click on the student's name.

The ten student finalists presented their essays orally at the Scholarship Essay Contest Finals Dinner held on Sunday, May 4, at the California State Univeristy, Sacramento Alumni Center. The first, second, and third place finalists were chosen by a panel of distinguished judges from the community: Dr. General Davie, Former Superintendent of Schools, San Juan Unified School District; Dr. Kathryn Jeffery, President of Sacramento City College; Lisa Kaplan, Board Member, Natomas Unified School District; Leon Lefson, Community Activist; and Michael G. Virga, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge. The first place winner is receiving a $2,500 scholarship, second place a $1,500 scholarship, third place a $1,000 scholarship. The other seven finalists will each receive $750 scholarships.

Special thanks to California State University, Sacramento for sponsorship of the event and to Media Edge for videotaping.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the 2008 PSR/Sacramento Scholarship Essay Contest a success and, especially, to all the students who entered the contest. Please return to this website in early January 2009 for information about next year's contest.