A Kuemper Catholic sophomore, Emmett Juergens, will head to Washington, D.C., in March after winning first place in the Iowa Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) “Voice of Democracy” essay contest. This year’s theme was “Is America Today Our Forefathers’ Vision,” and Juergens says it started as a class assignment.
In his essay, Juergens says our nation is not quite what the founders had imagined; it is more than they could have hoped.
The journey to the national contest had a few stops on the way. Juergens initially advanced by winning the local VFW Ralph G. Neppel Post #2642 contest, earning a $100 scholarship. He then won the VFW District contest, which came with another $100 scholarship. The state contest was held in Des Moines earlier this month, and Juergens placed first there as well, winning a $2,500 scholarship. Each state sends a representative to the VFW Washington Conference, scheduled for March 2 through 6, to present their entry again. The winner of the national contest receives a $35,000 college scholarship. Juergens says he is thankful for the opportunity to visit the national capital and for the chance to showcase his patriotism.
Emmett Juergens is the son of Pete and Shelli Juergens of Carroll. A copy of Juergens’ entry is included below.
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