Two Socorro Independent School District students were named finalists in the 2023 Do The Write Thing National Essay Contest.
Alonso Sepulveda from Col. John O. Ensor Middle School and Alejandra Catarina Rodriguez from Desert Wind School were two of 36 semi-finalists from the regional competition -- 27 were SISD students.
Sepulveda and Rodriguez will travel to Washington, D.C., in July to speak with lawmakers about bullying and violence prevention.
Do the Write Thing (DtWT) is an initiative of the National Campaign to Stop Violence.
The writing program positions middle school students as community catalysts as they examine the root causes and impact of youth violence.
“This is a big deal, and we are proud to recognize the two finalists,” said Kim Baxter, instructional officer for secondary social studies in Academic Services.
According to the Do The Write Thing website, 1 in 5 students experience bullying, while 1 in 7 students face cyberbullying and 3 million students have witnessed gun violence.
The DtWT program gives middles schools students a venue to express themselves about how violence impacts them and allows their voices, ideas and solutions to be heard. The writing process can be cathartic and therapeutic and DtWT can empower students to make good choices.