GERMAN-AMERICAN HALL OF FAME

GAMHOF 2012 Scholarship Essay Contest Winners

Posted: April 18, 2013

GERMAN-AMERICAN HALL of FAME ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2012 STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY CONTEST

Three high school and three college students share $3,500 in prize awards. Winners represent Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, Alabama and Michigan. The German-American Hall of Fame (GAMHOF) Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the winners of an exciting new initiative, the GAMHOF Student Scholarship Essay Contest.

With separate competitions for college and high school students, the essay contest offered cash awards totaling $3,500 for the winning students in 2012. The two First prize winners will take home $1,000, with Runners-up winning $500 each, and Third prize winners gaining $250 each.

The mission of GAMHOF is to highlight the contributions of outstanding Americans of German ancestry, underscoring the tremendous positive impact of America’s largest immigrant group. Such notable Americans as President Eisenhower, Babe Ruth and Albert Einstein have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Founder and Chairman William Hetzler said that “GAMHOF is pleased to congratulate all six outstanding winners in this essay competition, which encouraged students to look into the lives and contributions of outstanding German-Americans, and then to write about them.”

GAMHOF Board Secretary Herbert W. Stupp chaired the Scholarship Essay selection team, and added that: “We saw some fine research and writing that really brought alive the amazing impact of some 70 million Americans of German ancestry. There were many fine essays submitted, and it was difficult to narrow the winners down to six. In fact, the competition was so close, GAMHOF added third prize awards, in addition to the four prizes announced in 2012.”

This year’s student essay contest asked each applicant to write an essay about an American of Germany ancestry that the student found especially compelling. Then, the students elaborated by writing about their subject’s impact on the United States.

The winners of the 2012 GAMHOF Student Scholarship Essay contest are:

COLLEGE WINNERS
First prize
Josef Nothmann, Suffolk University, Massachusetts
Essay subject: Dr. Fritz Redlich

Second prize
Crystal Stone, Allegheny College, Pennsylvania
Essay subject: poet Lisel Mueller Read Essay

Third prize
Lisa Wiesenberger, University of Michigan
Essay subject: Heidi Klum Read Essay

 

HIGH SCHOOL WINNERS

First prize
Abby Horne, Auburn High School, Alabama
Essay subject: Amelia Earhart Read Essay

Second prize
Annie Lueck, Auburn High School, Alabama
Essay subject: Dr. Wernher von Braun Read Essay

Third place
Matt Ahrnsen, St. Xavier High School, Ohio
Essay subject: President Dwight D. Eisenhower Read Essay

Congratulations to the winners and to all the students who participated in the 2012 GAMHOF Student Scholarship Essay contest.