Students
Marysa Harberson Wins Essay Contest
Marysa Harberson, 8th grade student, is this year’s Mrachek winner of the annual Sertoma Club Freedom Essay Contest. She will be honored along with other winners at a luncheon this month.
The contest is sponsored annually by all Sertoma Clubs in the greater metropolitan
Denver area. Students submit essays of 200-300 words on the topic “What Freedom Means to Me.” A winner is chosen from each participating school, and overall winners are selected by both the Front Range and
Central Sertoma clubs and announced at a luncheon.
Marysa’s winning essay is reprinted below.
What Freedom Means to Me
By Marysa Harberson
Freedom is a human right and should be universal. Being free means you have the power to do, say, or think anything you want; something that not all countries allow.
First of all, there’s the right for religion. Here in the
U.S. there are many religions and we get to choose which one we wish to follow. Christianity, Catholic, and Judaism are all examples of only some of the religions we have in the
U.S. In other countries there aren’t this many. Everyone is forced to follow a single religion, whichever their ruler follows, against his or her will.
Next there’s the freedom of speech. We’re able to voice our opinions, even if it goes against the president. We’re free to express ourselves without getting thrown in jail for it. Elsewhere, say one thing against your ruler and you’ll pay the consequences. Their jails are different from ours, too. They have to do manual labor, whatever they’re told to do, every day.
Lastly there are our individual rights. Here in the
U.S., upon turning 18, so long as you’re a citizen, you get to vote for mayor, president, and other politicians. We also get the right to own land. In other countries, voting isn’t an option for everyday citizens. Everyone goes about their daily, un-free lives, probably wishing they had the power to choose their leader.
As you can see, the U.S. is a
free state, and we should be grateful we live here. I believe every country should have these rights, but it may never happen