FIRST PLACE WINNING ESSAY
(District Level)
The Freedom of Opportunity
This nation is known as the "land of opportunity," yet some people in this country do not have the chance to fulfill even the most basic of their needs.
If I could give freedom away, I'd give those who strive for a decent life a chance to reach their goals. The freedom of HAVING the opportunity to do something is the greatest freedom of all.
Our country is known as one of the most developed countries in the world, with advanced technology, an organized government and extensive education. Yet why are there still starving, homeless individuals? True, there are public shelters, but they aren't permanent residences. There are jobs everywhere, but how does one get a job with no address, phone number or even a social security number? Unfortunately, companies and businesses do not really want to hire homeless people who don't even have the basic information to fill out a resume. Such luckless individuals need the chance to get a home, get a job, and build a life.
I used to think such people were lazy, that there were plenty of opportunities in all areas. Then I thought of my own relatives, fleeing from communistic Vietnam and starting over in this country, penniless and clueless. Yet, each and every one of them got a sufficient education and most became professional businesspeople, engineers, nurses, and accountants, so why couldn't these other unfortunate homeless do the same?
And then I remembered the kind sponsors who shared their small homes and little resources with the large family my relatives had. Caring citizens showed my relatives the opportunities to build a home for themselves, guided them in settling down, and helped them find a new life. It took only a few caring people to help steer many lives onto the right track. I realized that my relatives didn't just depend on themselves or blindly stumble upon such good fortune. There were humane individuals in the world that cared enough to help.
I'm sure no impoverished person really WANTS to be poor. Why would anyone choose a life where they have no idea about their next meal or where their night's sleep will be? They choose that life because it is the only life they know. Society turns its head and shuts its door to people who line the corners of downtown streets and adorn park benches everywhere. How could society then blame them for sleeping on the streets and begging for money?
Our country needs more people who care about their fellow man living on the cold streets when there is plenty of shelter, nutritious food, warm clothing, and decent employment available in this prosperous country. The citizens of this country CAN give away the freedom of opportunity simply by pointing those longing for a chance at life towards the right direction. It seems to me that simply giving someone the opportunity to fulfill his or her goals is the greatest gift of freedom to offer any human being.
-Sophia Quyen Nguyen