OXNARD : Rio Mesa Student Wins Essay Contest

Greta Parsons knows what makes a good citizen.

“Honor, dependability, courage, leadership and patriotism,” she recited, straight out of the essay guidelines of the Daughters of the American Revolution essay competition.

A senior at Oxnard’s Rio Mesa High School, Greta beat out hundreds of students in California to win the annual contest. She said she used a lot of creativity to tackle this year’s topic, “Our American Heritage and My Responsibility to Preserve It.”

The essay started with a scenario of “a teacher asking the students what heritage was,” Greta said. “Nobody could answer.”

Greta, 17, then laid out her definition of heritage: “Whatever I do in my life, I’m going to carry through with my dreams, just like the original Americans wanted to do,” she recalled writing.

In addition to her essay, Greta submitted her transcript showing almost straight A’s; a resume that included her activities as a varsity swim team member and a volunteer for a library reading program for children; and a biographical essay about her life in Camarillo with her parents and younger sister.

All very impressive, said Roberta Griffith, a spokeswoman for the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

But the clincher, Griffith said, was the essay.

“If you read it, you wouldn’t believe it was by a high school student,” Griffith said. “It really stood out.” Students who participate in the competition write their essays at school under the watchful eyes of monitors.

Initially, Greta’s essay competed with those submitted by students at 10 other schools in Ventura County, Griffith said. The essay went on to win a district competition, and, most recently, the state championship. She’ll travel to Santa Clara this week to pick up a $500 scholarship prize at the Daughters of the Revolution California State Conference. She plans to attend Indiana University and study education or medicine.

The essay is in the hands of judges of the Southwest regional competition. If Greta wins again, the essay will go up against regional winners from throughout the country for the national championship, which carries a prize of $5,000 in scholarship money.

“It’s really exciting,” Greta said. “It’s the biggest honor I’ve ever had.”