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High School 1st Place Essay

May 10, 2010

Jordan Haire, of Owensboro High School, took home our first place prize! Here's his winning essay:

Theme: Acceptance as a Path to Unity

“We must hang together or else we shall all hang separately.” These brilliant words were spoken by none other than Benjamin Franklin, and they truly speak wonders about a path to unity. Accordingly so, I would like to take you down my path. My journey toward unity began with a single step, when I first realized the difference between looking and seeing. Initially, I only looked at the diversity of people, but one miraculous event changed my path forever. In February 2010, I traveled to Bowling Green, Kentucky to watch my friend’s brother participate in basketball for the Special Olympics. There I witnessed “special” people who didn’t dwell on winning, losing, or scoring twenty points. That Saturday afternoon I realized how blinded I had been and for the first time in my life, I could see, rather than look, at all of the beautiful people through their various disabilities. The Special Olympics allowed me to witness how each person is a gift, despite their physical, mental, or emotional handicaps. Watching the player’s play with a continuous smile on their faces helped me come to this realization. I am forever indebted to the fact that I was able to see how, even if the athletes didn’t win on the scoreboard, they won inside their hearts and were exceedingly brave in their attempt at victory. After my heartfelt experience, I continued my journey. Suddenly, I saw things in an entirely new light. I began to see different members of my friend’s basketball team around the community and I found myself interacting with them as if they were not handicapped. It was then that the question “Why are people so afraid to accept different people?” started to bother me. Was I one of the people that singled out someone out who had a disability? Or if someone else did, did I ever speak up? To think how malicious and cruel it would be for anyone to mock or to not accept people who were not as advantaged as others made me ill. And this is where my path has led me today. To be honest, I have been ignorant of the crippling effect that the “r-word” has on individuals with special needs. But, after experiencing the wonder and awe of the Special Olympics, I encourage everyone to ban the “r-word”. My path has led me to embrace all, and steer away from the stigma that individuals with special needs are not able to contribute to a world that is sometimes uninviting. My path ends at this destination, where unity and acceptance work synonymously to bring all individuals together. Henry Ford says it best: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is a progress. Working together is a success.” No one deserves to hang alone. Everyone’s path can unite as one.