Students from across 15 schools in Berrien County who participated in the annual Rotary Scholarship Essay Contest will be honored Monday at the St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Rotary Club. This competition is presented in collaboration with Berrien RESA.
Winners
1st Place – $1,000 Scholarship – Daniel Kondrat, Andrews Academy
2nd Place – $750 Scholarship – Melody Kertawidjaja, Berrien Springs High School
3rd Place – $500 Scholarship -Seth Martin, St. Joseph High School
About the winners:
Daniel Kondrat (1st Place Winner) is a Senior at Andrews Academy. Daniel has a passion for both music and technology. He has spent his high school years developing his musical talents, playing the piano and trumpet in the school band. Outside of music, Daniel has a deep interest in computing and emerging technologies. Following graduation, he plans to pursue a degree in Computer Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence. Daniel looks forward to applying his creativity and analytical skills to the ever-evolving field of AI, and he is excited for the opportunities that lie ahead.
Melody Kertawidjaja (2nd Place Winner) is a Senior at Berrien Springs High School. Melody’s plan to study Marketing and pursue a career in International Business reflects her passion for connecting cultures and fostering a globally minded economy. Her travels to Indonesia have further inspired her desire to use her strengths in service to others. Melody is President of the National Honor Society, President of Business Professionals of America, and President and Co-founder of the Multicultural Club. Her athletic achievements include participation on the basketball and tennis teams. Musically, she contributes her talents to the school’s top choir, Bel Canto, performs in the high school musical, and serves as her church pianist.
Seth Martin, (3rd Place Winner) is a Senior at St. Joseph High School. He has played violin since the age of five and enjoyed performing in his high school’s musicals and plays. He loves serving his community by volunteering in his church’s youth program. He speaks Mandarin, and enjoys reading and working out in his spare time. After high school, he will serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He plans on attending BYU and majoring in Classical Studies, hoping to become an immigration lawyer some day.
About the competition:
The Rotary Scholarship Essay Contest is now in its 46th year and has partnered with Berrien RESA for 18 years. This partnership is invaluable in expanding the opportunity to encompass over 20 schools and coordinating alignment of contest parameters with high school social studies content expectations.
The Rotary Scholarship Essay Contest promotes critical thinking, writing skills, and awareness of contemporary social issues. The contest is open to one senior nominated from each high school in Berrien County, plus one homeschool student.
The Essay Background/Prompt:
The essay prompt was developed by the Rotary Essay Committee, in consultation with and refined by the RESA Language Arts consultant to help ensure clarity and fit with the current High School studies content expectations:
“How have technological advancements, from the Industrial Revolution to modern Artificial Intelligence (AI), transformed societal structures and sparked ethical controversies? What lessons from past technological shifts can guide our approach to responsibly integrate AI?
Think ahead five years. How will AI likely have evolved? What skills need to be developed and nurtured in students today to be successful as your careers launch five years from now in an AI enabled world? What guardrails or incentives, if any, would you like to see put in place by our leaders to ensure AI betters rather than threatens our world and way of life?”
The students were provided with the topic of the essay question last December. In early February, the students reported to the Berrien RESA Technology Center to complete their essay. The rules and proctoring of the contest are rigorous to ensure a fair competition.
- 2 hour time limit
- No internet or cell phone use
- Allowed one 3” x 5” index card containing no more than 30 words
- Allowed a dictionary and thesaurus
Judging of the essays was blind with students identified only by an assigned number and were judged by representatives of both Berrien RESA and the Rotary Club of St. Joseph-Benton Harbor. Judges were asked to set aside any personal opinions on the essay topic and judge solely on the basis of how well the arguments were crafted and supported, utilizing the four key criteria of (1) content, (2) coherence and unity, (3) originality and style, and (4) grammar, punctuation and spelling.
