Sophomore Aysen Tan’s mom rushed back into their house last Friday after finding the letter from Vanderbilt University in their mailbox, and quickly told him to open the envelope.“I tore it open and I could barely read the words, ‘Congratulations. You have won 5,000 dollars,” Tan said.
Junior Molly Roberts shared a similar experience of shock and elation on Tuesday when she learned that she had also won the Free to Tweet scholarship.
“When I read it and saw that I had won… I screamed, let out a few joyous expletives, and told my parents about it,” she said.
Sponsored by the First Amendment Center and the Newseum, the Free to Tweet project was created to reward students aged 14 to 22 for creatively recognizing the rights granted by the First Amendment.
Roberts, who joined the Dragon Press staff this year as a video blogger for the Opinion section, chose to create a video detailing what the First Amendment means to her.
“The last thing I said in my video was ‘the First Amendment is us,’ which was sort of the general idea… what I mean is that it acknowledges our right, and gives us the freedom, to be our unique individual selves,” she said.
“Molly is fearless and passionate about what she believes in. She basically personifies the First Amendment. I’m really proud of her,” journalism adviser Melissa Wantz said.
Tan, the assistant multimedia editor for the Dragon Press, chose to showcase his passion for photography on a Tumblr account.
“Some of my photos were of protesters at Occupy Ventura. The goal was to show that they have the rights to free speech, assembly, and petition and that as a country we should remember that we were founded on disagreement and compromise. All voices and opinions should heard,” he said.
The contest was held December 15 in honor of the 220th anniversary of the First Amendment, and youth from across the nation tweeted their projects and support for the Free to Tweet cause. Of the roughly 17,000 tweets with the hashtag #freetotweet that day, a panel of judges chose 22 projects to reward with a $5,000 scholarship.
Tan and Roberts both entered the contest after Wantz made the project a mandatory assignment for her journalism class.
“I never would even have considered entering a contest like this, but Mrs. Wantz made us, and I am so happy she did. Until I got the email saying I was a finalist, I didn’t even entertain the notion that I would win,” Roberts said.
For Wantz, encouraging her students to participate in the competition was not based on the money.
“I believe the First Amendment is the backbone of American democracy and personal freedom. I wanted the Dragon Press staff to help celebrate the 220th anniversary of the Bill of Rights using social media to spread this important message. The chance to win scholarships was a bonus,” she said.
Tan also sees the First Amendment as an important pillar in American society.
“I believe the protection of the rights are crucial in maintaining freedoms that countless heroes have died for,” he said. “It is a privelege to have it while other countries can only dream about it, and that’s the beauty of it.”
Aside from $5,000, which both students plan to use the majority of for college, Tan and Roberts both said they gained a lot from the experience, including the confidence that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to.
Both Tan’s and Roberts’ parents were extremely proud of their children’s accomplishment.
“I’m probably going to get food because of it. Not that they [my parents] don’t feed me, but I’m going to get like expensive Thai food and I’ll have to leave the house and wear something that isn’t pajamas. It’s going to be awesome,” Roberts said. “I’m just very pleased with the whole thing.”
