The Judges Favorite Essay Quotes 2020

Cassie
"My welcoming actions toward Carrigan Hudson were very rewarding for both me and Carrigan. Carrigan was rewarded by feeling welcomed to and accepted in Carlisle. Starting the year at a new school in a new town and state is very scary, and I hope that I made this time easier for her. I was also rewarded by my welcoming actions, because it felt good being able to help someone and make a new friend."

Justin
"A welcome is for people to feel confident and relaxed to be able to talk to people without feeling nervous or anxious. A welcome is also for the new people to feel accepted in the community. I used to be the new person in the community. But, when a family picked me up, I felt happy, excited, and I thought that I might have a new friend."

Patience
"This is why integrating their cultures or beliefs into the environment and letting them know that they are welcome to freely believe what they wish is integral to welcoming someone. An example of how to do this can be seen within one of my close friends who is religious. This friend is a devout Christian so sometimes she talks about her religion. If I need to, I can politely ask questions or have respectful conversations about it while making sure that she is ok with what I am saying. When she celebrates holidays that are important to her religion I support her. If anything I do or say conflicts with her religion I apologize and make sure not to do it when I’m with her. These things must be done to help someone to feel safe and comfortable in a new environment."

Cassie
“When Elias Parker and 13 other African-American families moved to Mt. Holly Springs, Pennsylvania, they had little to no contact with their white neighbors. Although they created their own community, they should have been welcomed much better.  Now, it is very important that people in Mt. Holly Springs and Carlisle are very welcoming to new families in the area, no matter the race.”

Patience
“Everyone has different beliefs and cultures that makes it hard to freely enjoy a place where they might be judged. This is why integrating their cultures or beliefs into the environment and letting them know that they are welcome to freely believe what they wish is integral to welcoming someone.”