TOP ESSAYIST OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEST FROM TURKISH HOPE SCHOOL

Mahejabeen Hossain Nidhi, student of Class 9-A, has taken her place in the winners list of International Essay Contest held by Gulen Youth Platform. Her essay on the topic ‘Hospitality in the Global Village’, which she composed under the supervision of Mrs.Hamide, English Language Teacher, has come to be in the first thirty finalists among 500 essays from 40 countries and 30 states within U.S.. 

Apart from receiving prize money and a Certificate of Award from the Gulen Institute at the University of Houston, she was also awarded a sponsored excursion to Washington, D.C. In addition to participating in the award ceremony, she had the opportunity to meet honorable U.S. Congress members, participate in discussions, visit local university and think-tank organizations, and enjoy tourist attractions in Washington, D.C.

We encourage all of our students to participate in upcoming essay contests of this organization. Topic and rules will be announced during the month of September, 2013 on their website. www.gulenyouthplatform.org

Following is the letter from the organization on the Awards Ceremony:

Youth Platform Awards Ceremony 2013

This year's Youth Platform Awards Ceremony was a huge success; thank you to all of the students, parents, and teachers who participated. Thirty finalists from around the world gathered in Washington, DC to discuss their essays and participate in the Gulen Institute's Award Ceremony. The trip began at George Mason University, where Dr. Tom Gage, co-chair of the youth platform, led the students in a discussion of this year's prompt: "Hospitality in the Global Village." Students presented their essays to their academic peers, and together they discussed the complexities of immigration and identity politics. We at the Gulen Institute were inspired by the students' thoughtfulness and openness toward each other; even while they were visiting the monuments and museums of DC,they continued sharing their ideas and experiences. We hope that they left DC with a new appreciation of the thoughts and opinions of their peers from around the world, as well as confidence in their own ability to engage with issues of political importance.

George Abraham from Florida took first place for his essay: "Immigration and the Artistic Sense of Cultural Identity". Gawoon Shim from South Korea received second place for his essay: "Hosts and Guests: We Must Learn to Live Along". And Vaishnavi Rao from California won third prize for her essay: "The Immigration Challenge: The Role of the Indian Government in the Future of Assam".

We congratulate all contest participants, their parents, and their educators and wish them the best in their future academic endeavors.