This year’s winners of the VFW annual scholarship contest are Carlstadt residents Stephanie Giraldo, Allison Carella and Adis Hoti.

The VFW, Veterans of Foreign Wars, holds an annual scholarship contest where students submit audio-essays, and the corporation awards two million dollars in scholarships and incentives. The few objectives of the corporation, when it comes to the scholarship contest, are to create a bridge between an organization with older citizens and to promote the idea of community and civic duty.

“It was great to win; however, it was more fulfilling to see how content the VFW members were with my words,” stated Senior Stephanie Giraldo.

The essay topic for this year was “what would one change in the world”, and English Teacher Mr. Shin told his public speaking class about the scholarship contest. The organization is a proud supporter of academic endeavors, and Becton has been involved in this effort for years.

“I’m proud of all three students because they presented pieces that were personal and poignant. They made sure to give due respect to the VFW and everything that it stands for while reflecting education and intelligence,” stated Mr. Shin.

“It’s an honor to win this award; I worked really hard on this essay. I can’t wait to win more scholarships in the future,” said Senior Allison Carella.

Mr. Shin manages the submissions to the contest, and he helps students throughout the whole process. It is up to the VFW to choose the top three submissions of the district, and from there, the English instructor puts them in order.

“It was a privilege to receive the opportunity to write this essay and be gifted with all the awards that I have received,” said Senior Adis Hoti.