Seynabou Ngaya, a senior at Westerville Central High School, has been selected as the winner of the 12th-grade essay competition in the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Art, Writing & Multimedia contest hosted by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
As part of the contest, students in grades 6-12 were asked to write an essay or create art that responds to the following prompt: Important change and greatness do not always come from activities that receive fanfare. How have you or will you work to promote equality and justice in your own way?
Ngaya wrote about her passion for politics and exploring her identity as the daughter of Senegalese immigrants. She talked about the death of WCHS alum Donovan Lewis, which deepened her desire to pursue politics after high school.
“Politics have a significant role in the battle for human rights,” she wrote in her essay.
Ngaya received her award at a Feb. 23 ceremony with teachers Kelly Kratofil and Susannah Wince and counselor Erica Guice.