10 M-DCPS Students Honored by Prestigious Elie Wiesel Foundation for Essays on Society’s Ethical Challenges

The prestigious Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity recognized 10 Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) high school students for their entries in the 2022 Prize in Ethics Essay Contest.

For the ninth year, M-DCPS is the only district in the nation to have high school juniors and seniors participate in this contest originally created for college students. Thousands of young people have participated in the Foundation’s Prize in Ethics at the college level since its inception in 1989.

The winners received scholarship prizes provided by the Miami Dade Youth Fair. Sebastian Lorenzo, a junior at Miami Arts Studio 6-12 @ Zelda Glazer won first place and received a $3,000 college scholarship for his essay, “The Paradox of Ethics:  An Analysis of Today’s Approach to Conflict.” Second place was awarded to Andrew Landsaw, a senior at Cutler Bay Senior High School, who received $2,000 for his essay, “Our Children.” Third place went to Alexandra Cozar, a junior at School for Advanced Studies- Homestead Campus. She received $1,000 for her essay, “Vivid Remembrances.”

The honorable mentions were Camila Cruz, a senior at TERRA Environmental Research Institute; and Taylor Perez, a junior at Miami Arts Studio 6-12 @ Zelda Glazer. They each received a $250 prize. The winners were announced during an awards ceremony held last evening at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach.

Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel, for whom the contest is named, was a Romanian-born, Jewish-American professor and political activist who died in 2016. He wrote more than 60 books, including “Night,” a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and Buchenwald concentration camps. Mr. Wiesel received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. 

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