Jacqueline Hudak, a junior at Lakewood High School, was sitting in the basement with her family, watching the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage’s “Stop the Hate” Awards Ceremony over Zoom. As a contest finalist, she could receive the scholarship for high school students who wrote essays speaking out against bias and bigotry.
But she didn’t have much hope for a win. Until her name was announced as the grand prize winner, awarding her a $20,000 scholarship.
“We were jumping up and down,” she said. “It was really cool.”
Jacqueline was one of the top 20 high school finalists who read their contest essays in the Maltz Museum’s first online ceremony in its 14-year history. The ‘Youth Speak Out’ essay-writing contest for students, and Youth Sing Out, songwriting for classrooms, provides scholarships and grants for middle school and high school students, and their schools.
Jacqueline’s essay was about advocating for body positivity for girls, specifically calling out body-shaming of female athletes in sports. She offered as an example her high school volleyball team tryouts, where the coach picked the team members based on the athletes’ weight and height rather than their playing skill.
According to Jacqueline, this coach’s actions were traumatizing for the players, which led her to advocate for his dismissal and promote body positivity for others. She says her biggest goal was to start a conversation, to get people thinking about the topic.
“I think it’s important, especially now with all the comparisons on social media,” she says. “People need to feel comfortable enough in their own skin, especially teens. It’s a timely topic.”
Amy Garritano, English teacher at Lakewood High School, says her class is all about finding voice and confidence in and through writing.
“Jacquie’s success in this contest is well-earned and much deserved,” she says. “By offering our students the opportunity to use their voice to reach an audience beyond the classroom, I hope to instill in them the realization that their voice matters, their story matters – the realization that they matter. The Maltz Museum’s ‘Stop the Hate’ Contest is the perfect vehicle through which to do this. The stories of each and every single student who enters matter, and I love that Jacquie is able to use hers to support and inspire those whose voices may never be heard.”
Visit maltzmuseum.org for all contest winners.
