Upper St. Clair student wins regional essay contest
Pritika Gupta of Upper St. Clair was selected as the regional winner of the 2022 Patriot’s Pen essay contest.
The Patriot’s Pen essay contest, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), encouraged middle school students to examine America’s history and their own experiences in modern American society. Then they drafted a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW commander-in-chief. The 2021-22 theme was “How Can I Be a Good American?”
An eighth-grade student at Fort Couch Middle School, Gupta addressed the theme by taking a critical look at how she can support freedom of speech.
Because of her first-place finishes at the local VFW Post 764 and the regional level, Gupta will now participate in a Memorial Day parade and read her essay at the parade’s conclusion.