Governor Spanberger, First Gentleman Announce Winners of Virginia Council on Women’s 15th Annual High School Essay Contest

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger and First Gentleman Adam Spanberger today announced the winners of the Virginia Council on Women's 15th Annual STEAM-H (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, and Healthcare) Essay Contest - hosting the winners and their families at the Executive Mansion.

The Virginia Council on Women established this contest in 2012 to award scholarships to high school junior and senior girls planning to pursue STEAM-H careers at institutions of higher education, including four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, and career and technical schools. This year, more than 300 young women from across the Commonwealth submitted essays about why they want to pursue a STEAM-H career. To date, the Council has awarded more than $225,000 in scholarships through this annual essay contest.

"The winners of this essay contest are future scientists, teachers, researchers, and inventors who will work throughout the Commonwealth to solve problems and transform lives," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "Thank you to the Council on Women for the hard work you put into inspiring the next generation of leaders. The young women being celebrated this year - and every Virginian who submitted their work - make me confident that our future is in good hands."

"As an engineer and the father of three daughters, I'm proud to celebrate these talented young women who are pursuing opportunities in STEAM-H," said First Gentleman Adam Spanberger. "I look forward to seeing where their curiosity, hard work, and willingness to take on new challenges lead them."

Below are the winners of this year's contest:

Eastern Virginia/Hampton Roads

• Clara Cho, Tabb High School, Yorktown
• Samiah Jeffries, Churchland High School, Portsmouth

Southwest/Southside Virginia

• Kamori Dillard, Martinsville High School, Martinsville
• Emmaline Dowell, Chilhowie High School, Chilhowie

Richmond/Central Virginia

• Grace White, Matoaca High School, Chesterfield
• Zakiyyah Foster-Rasheed, Highland Springs High School, Highland Springs

Valley/Western Virginia

• Margaret Thomas, Blacksburg High School, Blacksburg
• Hannah Ahmad, Spotswood High School, Penn Laird

Northern Virginia

• Sienna Sung, Langley High School, McLean

Nardos Gelashe, Fairfax High School, Fairfax

# # #