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2007 Anthem Essay Contest

First Place

Denise Orthner, Hammonton HS, Hammonton, NJ, USA
[Read Essay]

Second Place

Megan Arkenberg, Germantown HS, Germantown, WI, USA
Sophie Arlow, The Overlake School, Medina, WA, USA
Harrison Falk, Duluth HS, Berkeley Lake, GA, USA
Nick Kowalczyk, Crown Point HS, Crown Point, IN, USA
Annemarie Ryu, Mayo HS, Rochester, MN, USA

Third Place

Stephanie Aldrich, Worcester Academy, Hopedale, MA, USA
Victor Bartash, Wall HS, Wall, NJ, USA
Renee Bruner, Cypress Creek HS, Houston, TX, USA
Elisabeth Burns, Dobyns-Bennett HS, Kingsport, TN, USA
Benjamin Dong, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Angela Fu, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Stephanie Gonzalez, Douglas MacArthur HS, San Antonio, TX, USA
Kelsey Lay, Hamilton HS, Hamilton, IL, USA
Angela Li, Cypress Falls HS, Houston, TX, USA
William McChesney, Paul M. Dorman HS, Spartanburg, SC, USA

Finalists

Lauren Allanson, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Bhargavi Ammu, East Brunswick Senior HS, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
Emily Bartha, Lake Shore HS, Angola, NY, USA
Conner Beard, Lutheran South Academy, Houston, TX, USA
Dana Brecheisen, Campus HS, Haysville, KS, USA
Austin L Burdick, Home Schooled, Flint Hill, VA, USA
Jared Cooley, Douglas MacArthur HS, San Antonio, TX, USA
Gabriela De Jesus, Hill Regional Career HS, New Haven, CT, USA
Mackenzie DeSeve, Downington HS West, Downingtown, PA, USA
Desiree Espitia, Passaic County Technical Institute, Clifton, NJ, USA
Michelle Fang, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Kathleen Ferraren, Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technolog, Sterling, VA, USA
Ben Gammage, La Jolla HS, San Diego, CA, USA
Jingkang Gao, The Albany Academy, Slingerlands, NY, USA
Jessica Hwang, David H. Hickman HS, Columbia, MO, USA
Vanessa Ing, Monta Vista HS, Cupertino, CA, USA
Olivia Kenney, Easton Area HS, Easton, PA, USA
Austin Krist, Clear Lake HS, Houston, TX, USA
Nam Le, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Polina Leonova, Cupertino HS, Cupertino, CA, USA
Michael Levenstein, Coral Gables Senior HS, Coral Gables, FL, USA
Jacob Lyonfields, Parkway West HS, Ballwin, MO,
Victoria Miluch, Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Kimmie Nguyen, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Krsty Nguyen, CA Acad of Math and Science, Torrance, CA, USA
Matthew Noakes, Beyer HS, Modesto, CA, USA
Kayleigh O'Neil, Monroe Woodbury HS, Monroe, NY, USA
Jared Peterson, Westlake HS, Austin, TX, USA
Marissa Potasiak, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Jordan Pye, Albemarle HS, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Aatif Qureshi, Clarkson Secondary School, Mississauga, ON, Canada
Natalya Rahmann, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Sumana Raj, American HS, Fremont, CA, USA
Neil Saez, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Lisa Saladin, Moscow HS, Moscow, ID, USA
Emily Saltz, South Pasadena HS, South Pasadena, CA, USA
Emily Silva, Clarke Central HS, Athens, GA, USA
Quentin Smith, Colear Lake HS, Seabrook, TX, USA
Josiah Tsui, Allen HS, Allen, TX, USA
Jonathan Tune, Douglas S. Freeman HS, Richmond, VA, USA
Alex Wallace, Holy Innocents' Episcopal School, Smyrna, GA, USA
Christana Waterstreet, Douglas S. Freeman HS, Richmond, VA, USA
Robert Henry Weaver, Allendale Columbia School, Rochester, NY, USA
Christopher Wood, Stanton College Preparatory School, Jacksonville, FL, USA
Kathleen Wood, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Tory Wooley, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Semi-Finalists

Steven Abrams, East Brunswick Senior HS, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
Caitie Adams, Blookington HS South, Bloomington, IN, USA
Kristen Anderson, Bixby HS, Bixby, OK, USA
Maria Angarita, Miami Lakes Educational Center, Miami, FL, USA
Asante Badu, West Valley HS, Yakima, WA, USA
Andrew Bastidas, Eagle Harbor HS, Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
Ken Bauer, Concord HS, Goshen, IN, USA
Bailey Baumann, Lorenzo Walker Technical HS, Naples, FL, USA
Emily Benjamin, Charles M. Russell HS, Great Falls, MT, USA
Tyler Berbert, College Park HS, Pleasant Hill, CA, USA
Jenna Birch, Howell HS, Brighton, MI, USA
Kaity Blackburn, Odyssey Academy, Rochester, NY, USA
David Bosch, Fallbrook HS, Fallbrook, CA, USA
Molly Brennan, Wall HS, Wall, NJ, USA
Jillian Buckelew, Lake Havasu HS, Lake Havasu City, AZ, USA
Rachel Bunn, Douglas S. Freeman HS, Richmond, VA, USA
Matthew Button, Brighton HS, Brighton, MI, USA
Anna Cabe, Saint Benedict at Auburndale HS, Collierville, TN, USA
Hanjing Cao, East Brunswick Senior HS, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
Bethany Carson, Allen HS, Allen, TX, USA
Wendy Chan, East Brunswick Senior HS, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
Kaitlyn Chandler, Brookswood HS, Snellville, GA, USA
Noah Clark, Hilliard Darby HS, Hilliard, OH, USA
Melody Condon, Berthoud HS, Berthoud, CO, USA
Steven Cooper, Colear Lake HS, Houston, TX, USA
Tara Cooper, Enterprise HS, Redding, CA, USA
Alexandra D'Agostino, Moses Brown School, Providence, RI, USA
Audrey Dang, Lindbergh HS, St Louis, MO, USA
Joshua De Leon, Allen HS, Allen, TX, USA
Parker Dean, Clear Lake HS, El Lago, TX, USA
Nancy Desai, Hicksville HS, Hicksville, NY, USA
Kelsey Doege, East Central HS, St. Hedwig, TX, USA
Caitlin Dougherty, Easton Area HS, Easton, PA, USA
Summer Dowd-Lukesh, Claremont HS, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
Delainie Downie, Rancho Buena Vista HS, Vista, CA, USA
Dillon DuBose, Carencro HS, Scott, LA, USA
Amanda Edais, Yuma HS, Yuma, AZ, USA
Wenqi Feng, Buchholz HS, Gainesville, FL, USA
Diana Fiorentino, Dowingtown West HS, Downingtown, PA, USA
Sydney Fisher, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Josh Fletcher, Branson HS, Branson, MO, USA
Maxx Forde, Timbercrest Junior HS, Bothell, WA, USA
Christopher Fox, Thunder Ridge HS, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
Gretchen Fredericksen, Northwestern Regional HS #7, New Hartford, CT, USA
Steven Gagniere, Patrick Henry HS, El Cajon, CA, USA
Tim Gahr, Cedar Cliff HS, New Cumberland, PA, USA
Caley Gallison, Wilson HS, Portland, OR, USA
Elizabeth Gause, Buchholz HS, Gainesville, FL, USA
Ernesto Gaxha, Gananda HS, Macedon, NY, USA
Natasha Gaydos, Springfield HS, Springfield, IL, USA
Alex Gerard, Bonneville HS, Iona, ID, USA
Emily Geske, Mesquite HS, Chandler, AZ, USA
Josh Giannone, Downingtown West HS, Downingtown, PA,
Sarah Gibson, West Orange HS, Ocoee, FL, USA
Rachel Gidley, Westfield HS, Westfield, IN, USA
Peter Girgis, East Brunswick Senior HS, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
Rachel Greenberg, North Shore Hebrew Academy HS, Great Neck, NY, USA
Chloe Gremaud, Parkway West HS, Chesterfield, MO,
Edith Guerreo, Yuma HS, Yuma, AZ, USA
Carly Gustaveson, Pocatello HS, Pocatello, ID, USA
Kara Hackett, Homestead HS, Fort Wayne, IN, USA
Hussain Hamdan, Mohawk Trail Regional HS, Hawley, MA, USA
Matthew Hart, Victor Senior HS, Victor, NY, USA
Monica Hawkes, Mesquite HS, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Matt Haynes, Olathe Northwest HS, Lenexa, KS, USA
Theodore Hilk, Mill Valley HS, Shawnee, KS, USA
Marie Hoffman, Hastings HS, Hastings, MI, USA
Andrea Hsueh, Santa Teresa HS, San Jose, CA, USA
Daniel Huang, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USa
Thomas Hwang, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Rachael Hyde, Bonneville HS, Ucon, ID, USA
Michaela Immar, Cardinal Spellman HS, East Bridgewater, MA, USA
Ronnie Instrella, Oceanside HS, Oceanside, NY, USA
Andie Jackson, Mariemont HS, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Kimber Jones, Northshore HS, Slidell, LA, USA
Ammar Joudeh, Easley HS, Easley, SC, USA
Prashanth Kamalakanthan, William G. Enloe High, Raleigh, NC, USA
Nikita Karki, Mesquite HS, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Casey Kellogg, Downingtown West HS, Downingtown, PA,
Adam Kern, John Adams HS, South Bend, IN, USA
Scheherazade Khan, Lake Mary Prep, Winter Park, FL, USA
Zachary Kobos, Myers Park HS, Charlotte, NC, USA
Cynthia Kok, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Aviva Kraus, Palisades Charter HS, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Neeharika Krothapalli, Farmington HS, Unionville, CT, USA
Kira Krutulis, Home School, Otterbein, IN, USA
Tyler Kuntz, Desoto Central HS, Olive Branch, MS, USA
Nick LaGrow, Lakewood HS, Evergreen, CO, USA
Teresa Lai, Whitney HS, Cerritos, CA, USA
Rebecca Lange, Homeschool, Chesterfield, MO, USA
Morgan Lawson, Clintonville HS, Bear Creek, WI, USA
Charles Lazarus, San Clemente HS, San Clemente, CA, USA
Benjamin Lee, Mark Keppel HS, Monterey Park, CA, USA
Samuel Lee, Parkway West HS, Manchester, MO,
Xiao Li, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, CA, USA
Sam Lisican, Crown Point HS, Crown Point, IN, USA
Lizzie Liu, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Alix Luttrell, Graham HS, Saint Paris, OH, USA
Jessica Macy, Olathe Northwest HS, Olathe, KS, USA
Ally Maggard, Mariemont HS, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Madeline Magnuson, Skyline HS, Idaho Falls, ID, USA
Joel Markham, Yuma HS, Yuma, AZ, USA
Bertha Mendoza, Yuma HS, Yuma, AZ, USA
Patrick Mickelson, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Cezary Mierzejek, West Orange HS, Winter Garden, FL, USA
Maggie Moore, Fairview HS, Fairview, PA, USA
Marina Muenchrath, Standard School, Rockyford, AB, Canada
Anu Murthy, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Andrea Mycroft, Brookswood HS, Snellville, GA, USA
Garrett Neer, Fairview HS, Fairview, PA, USA
Blake Neff, Lincoln HS, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Tanner Newton, McKinney HS, McKinney, TX, USA
Hien Nguyen, William Floyd HS, Shirley, NY, USA
Kelsey Norris, Miami Palmetto Senior HS, Miami, FL, USA
Jenny Norwood, Cashmere HS, Cashmere, WA, USA
Evan Odelberg, Lakewood Senior HS, Wheat Ridge, CO, USA
Sara Odom, Dobyns-Bennett HS, Kingsport, TN, USA
Zana Operta, Dobyns-Bennett HS, Kingsport, TN, USA
Sarah Patzner, Lakewood HS, Pine, CO, USA
Jeanine Peters, Mesquite HS, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Dani Peterson, Lakeridge Junior HS, Orem, UT, USA
Lisa Pettit, Mill Valley HS, Shawnee, KS, USA
Jillian Pham, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Thomas Pham, Irvine HS, Irvine, CA, USA
Cali Ann Piccirillo, Palisades Charter HS, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Amanda Plante, Providence HS, Matthews, NC, USA
Michael Poandl, Chantilly HS, Centrevile, VA, USA
Maggie Jo Pruitt, Bergman HS, Harrison, AR, USA
Emily Puhnaty, California Area HS, Roscoe, PA, USA
Victoria Purl-Henderson, Marshall HS, Marshall, TX, USA
Prisilia Quijano, Yuma HS, Yuma, AZ, USA
Mandy Rattazzi, Crown Point HS, Crown Point, IN, USA
Sophie Read, Seminole HS, Lake Mary, FL, USA
Maxwell Rebarber, East Brunswick Senior HS, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
Julia Retta, Lakewood Presbyterian School, Dallas, TX, USA
Ben Reynolds, Bainbridge HS, Bainbridge, GA, USA
Drew Ritzel, Bellbrook HS, Dayton, OH, USA
Kara Robart, Fremont HS, Newaygo, MI, USA
Anne Rogers, Clinton Community HS, Clinton, IL, USA
Nathaniel J Ryan, John Marshall HS, Rochester, MN, USA
Isabelle Santos, Victor Senior HS, Victor, NY, USA
Emma Schwartz, Red Lion Senior HS, York, PA, USA
Stephen Scott, Gersh Academy HS, Plainview, NY, USA
Chelsea Setterlin, Hilliard Davidson HS, Hilliard, OH, USA
Arya Shah, Gretchen Whitney HS, Cerritos, CA, USA
Peter Shapiro, Schenectady HS, Schnecetady, NY, USA
Eddie Sherman, Crown Point HS, Crown Point, IN, USA
Elizabeth Sierocinski, Western HS, Davie, FL, USA
Robin Simpson, Miami Lakes Educational Center HS Division, Miami, FL, USA
Melyssa Son, Allen HS, Lucas, TX, USA
Sarah Sprague, Marengo Community HS, Marengo, IL, USA
Georgia Stasinopoulo, Stuyvesant HS, Staten Island, NY, USA
Alex Stratton, Yuma HS, Yuma, AZ, USA
Jennifer Su, Whitney HS, Cerritos, CA, USA
Riley Taitingfong, Marysville Pilchuck HS, Marysville, WA, USA
Austin Taylor, Yuma HS, Yuma, AZ, USA
Ian Taylor, College Park HS, Pleasant Hill, CA, USA
Jacob Thompson, Hamilton HS, Hamilton, IL, USA
Molly Thomson, Bixby HS, Bixby, OK, USA
Catherine Tien, East Brunswick Senior HS, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
Vanessa Torrecillas, Lake Havasu HS, Lake Havasu City, AZ, USA
Jordan B. Urbach, Roslyn HS, Roslyn Heights, NY, USA
Sravya Vajapeyajula, Jonatha Law HS, Milford, CT, USA
Mackenzie Van Engelenhoven, Hillcrest HS, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Rachel Vanmiddlesworth, Lakeland HS, Lakeland, FL, USA
Sarah Welch, El Paso HS, El Paso, TX, USA
Ellie Westfall, Fairview HS, Erie, PA, USA
Taylor Williams, Glenwood HS, Glenwood, Iowa, USA
Emily Williamson, Franklin Regional Senior HS, Export, PA, USA
Kristina Woodward, Hampton HS, Hampton, VA, USA
Sheryl Yaconiello, Landstown HS & Technology Academy, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Hesu Yang, Mesquite HS, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Kimberly Yau, Brookswood HS, Snellville, GA, USA
Vincent Yu, Longmeadow HS, Longmeadow, MA, USA
Caitlin Zook, Graham HS, Urbana, OH, USA