Two RSHS Students Selected for Moose Lodge Youth Awareness Scholarship Competition

RICHMOND COUNTY – From April 26th-30th two high school students from Richmond Country traveled to Boston Massachussetts to participate in a Moose Lodge Youth Awareness scholarship competition.

High school senior Latasha Baker and state winner and high school junior Kyle Goodwin were two of the three high school students from North Carolina, alongside Victoria Owens from Elizabeth City, chosen to participate in the competition.

To be chosen, the three students had to do three “Youth Talks” with a group of community children concerning an important issue.  Goodwin’s talk was on cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Baker’s focus was on bullying.

Being chosen as the top three in North Carolina, Baker, Goodwin, and Owens were then invited to attend the Moose International Youth Awareness Congress in Boston, where they stayed for five days and were able to meet the other winners from all across the United States.

Five of the 60 students attending the Congress were chosen by their peers to receive scholarships. The winners of the scholarship competition were April Johnson from Michigan, receiving a $12,000 scholarship; Mikayla Postma from Colorado receiving $8,000; Nathan Plym from Wisconsin receiving $5,000; Andrew Littlefield receiving $3,000; and Dylan Badillo from Massachusetts receiving $2,000.

While the scholarship reward was a major part of the Youth Awareness Congress, the students were provided with a great experience in Boston, Massachusetts. The Richmond County students were allowed an all expenses paid trip, including airfare, and stayed at the Sheraton Hotel, where each day spent there was given a holiday theme to add to the excitement of the event. Holidays such as New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Veterans’ Day, Mardi Gras, Evacuation Day, and Thanksgiving, as well as an included costume party, were some of the themes.

The students were brought on tours to learn about the rich history of Boston, from the Granary Burial Grounds to the Plymouth Plantation, and the Massachusetts State House.

Each student at the Congress worked hard for their community, and while not everyone could receive the scholarship award the experience itself was one of a lifetime.

Editor’s note:  This article was contributed by Latasha Baker, a new addition to the talented team of writers at the Richmond Observer.