High school seniors who reside in the Upper Peninsula and plan to pursue studies in a healthcare-related field at a college or university next fall are invited to participate in the fourth annual National Rural Health Day Essay Contest. The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health is coordinating the contest with the Michigan Center for Rural Health and the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan. The essay submission deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 25.
Students' essays should be 500 words minimum or 1,000 words maximum. The essay question is, “If you could advocate for one change in the healthcare industry, what would it be and why?”
Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in the three U.P. regions: Eastern, Central and Western. They are $500 for first place, $250 for second and $100 for third.
"We are hopeful that more high school seniors pursuing higher education in a healthcare-related field will enter this year's contest,” said Elise Bur, NMU Center for Rural Health director. “We've had some amazing entries in previous years, and it's inspiring and hopeful to gain insight and perspective from our future healthcare workforce. We are also grateful that the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan is joining our efforts as a sponsor this year, supporting six of the nine prizes."
Winners will be notified in November. The first-place essays will be shared with students' hometown newspapers in the hope of being published on National Rural Health Day, which was established in 2010.
The guidelines and submission link can be found here.