Freeman Academy student wins MCC essay contest

Stefany Cortes, a senior at Freeman Academy in Freeman, South Dakota, won top prize for her essay on immigration in the annual Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. National Peace & Justice Ministries (NPJM) public policy essay contest.

Sam Waegli won honorable mention for his essay on the climate crisis. He attends First Mennonite Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.

As the top essayist from among six finalists from five high schools across the U.S., Cortes will receive $1,000. Waegli will receive $250 for honorable mention.

The NPJM public policy essay contest, which is in its 25th year, encourages youth to explore and understand federal government policy issues while reflecting on how their faith engages with advocacy. Topics in this year’s contest included immigration, climate change and mass incarceration.

In her essay, Cortes draws attention to the problems she sees in the U.S. immigration system. She stresses that “it is our duty to look past the stereotypes and look at the facts of what is actually happening in the United States today. The current immigration system is infested with many flaws.”

She highlights an actual story of immigration to the U.S. and relates it to stories of immigration in the Bible. Cortes’ essay articulates the need for reforms to immigration laws that balance compassion with practicality and the importance of addressing the root causes of migration.

Cortes writes, “The choice to immigrate to America is often not a choice at all,” with multiple factors forcing people to leave their homes. The U.S., she argues, should offer better pathways to citizenship for immigrants who are already here and who are working, paying taxes and contributing to the economy.

Cortes concludes with an encouragement for Christians to be a light in the darkness for newly arrived immigrants.

“It is a privilege to be able to not care about these issues. While we are going about our daily lives, thousands of people are being forced out of their countries. Leaving everything and everyone you have ever known behind is not an easy decision to make.

“The millions of people who immigrate to the United States every year are not coming here to be the center of our political debates. They are not criminals, but human beings seeking asylum for themselves and their families.”

She asks Christians to love others, regardless of where they are coming from as Jesus commanded his followers to do. Cortes’ full essay can be accessed on MCC's website.

In Waegli’s essay, “Sacrifices & hope in the climate crisis," he argues that “it is time for those of us who wish to protect Creation to evaluate our positions.” While environmentalists are promoting renewable energy sources, remaining too idealistic in the search for the cleanest energy source can be to their detriment.  Sacrifices will need to be made.

Waegli also stresses the negative role of consumerism and the need to resist unessential consumption. This presents the greatest potential in the fight against climate change, according to Waegli.  He concludes his essay by urging the U.S. Congress to support the development of technology for cleaner forms of mining.

The contest is open to Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and other Anabaptist youth of high school age and to all youth who attend Mennonite-related high schools within the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The opinions of the winners do not necessarily reflect the view of MCC. 

Serim Park is an international fellow with MCC U.S. National Peace & Justice Ministries.