There are many ways to pay for college, and one of the most common ways to accomplish this is by utilizing scholarships either entirely or more likely in combination with another method. Thankfully, there is an opportunity for students of Heritage High School to take advantage of such a scholarship. This scholarship is takes the form of an essay contest that was created by Georgia Senator David Shafer. He created this competition to assist high school students in their understanding of the freedom and opportunity offered by the Constitution. The idea is that this contest will encourage students to research and think critically about the Bill of Rights, and by doing this, these students will gain a new interest in liberty, the founding principles, and personal responsibility.

There is some pertinent information for those who are interested in participating in competing. Among this information is who is qualified to take part, which would be students who reside in Georgia and are in their Senior year of high school or the equivalent in any non-traditional learning experience. Another such piece of information is the fact that the essay is due on February 15, 2016. The essay must not exceed 800 words. It should be about a person in American History who exemplified at least one of the following character traits: courage, patriotism, citizenship, honesty, fairness, respect for others, kindness, cooperation, self-respect, self-control, courtesy, compassion, tolerance, diligence, generosity, punctuality, cleanliness, cheerfulness, school pride, respect for the environment, respect for the creator, patience, creativity, sportsmanship, loyalty, perseverance, and virtue.

As with any scholarship essay contest, there are incentives to enter. Such incentives would include the prizes. The student who takes the first place prize will obtain a $1,500 scholarship along with an official resolution by the Georgia State recognizing the achievement. The second place winner will have a $750 scholarship. The third place winner is prized with $250 in scholarship money. Teachers are also able to benefit from this opportunity. When students apply, they will include a teacher’s name and e-mail, and if the same name and e-mail is included in more than five applications, than the teacher associated with them will be entered in a drawing to win a $500 gift card.