Physicians for Social Responsibility
Sacramento Chapter

2009 High School Scholarship Essay Contest

Announcement of Winners
Total Scholarship Awards $10,250

The Sacramento Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility congratulates the winners of the 2009 PSR/Sacramento Scholarship Essay Contest. These students were chosen from a field of
144 entries for their outstanding essays based on this prompt by Albert Einstein:

“We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.”

First place - Sarah Lightstone, C.K. McClatchy High School, Sacramento

Second place - Monika Robbins, Mira Loma High School, Carmichael

Third place - Noah Muldavin, C.K. McClatchy High School, Sacramento

The other finalists are:

Jessica Blair, Golden Sierra High School, Cool

Emily Bush, Bella Vista High School, Orangevale

Bianca Fox, Loretto High School, Shingle Springs

Claire McCammon, Colfax High School, Grass Valley

Morgan Sander, Golden Sierra High School, Garden Valley
Hear Morgan's interview on the May 4, 2009 Insight program.

Ryan Suleiman, Mira Loma High School, Gold River

Amy Williams, Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay

Please click on the student's name to read their essay.
View the Media Edge broadcast of all ten essay presentations.

The ten student finalists presented their essays orally at the PSR/Sacramento Scholarship Finals Dinner which was held on Sunday, May 3 at the Dante Club in Sacramento. The first place winner received a $2,500 scholarship, second place a $1,500 scholarship, and third place a $1,000 scholarship. The other seven finalists received $750 scholarships.

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners were chosen by a panel of distinguished judges:
Sharon Chandler, educator, journalist, and author; Bob Dresser, Chair of Jewish Community Relations Council; Basim Elkarra, Executive Director of the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations; Heather Fargo, past mayor of the city of Sacramento; and Marielle Tsukamoto, president of the Florin Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the 2009 PSR/Sacramento Scholarship Essay Contest a success, and, especially, to all the students who entered the contest. Special thanks to Media Edge for filming the event. Please return to this website in January 2010 for information about next year's contest.