Sarah Noseworthy, a Level 3 student at Corner Brook Regional High, is a finalist in the 10thAnnual RBC Black History Month Student Essay Competition.
The competition is open to students across Canada who have applied to attend college or university in the 2019/20 academic year. It asks students to learn about and share their thoughts on how black Canadians have helped to define Canada's diverse heritage and identity through their achievements and contributions to the broader society.
Noseworthy chose to write about 19th century anti-slavery activist, journalist, publisher, teacher, and lawyer Mary Ann Shadd, hockey pioneer Willie O'Ree and Viola Desmond, the latter whom challenged racial segregation at a cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia by refusing to leave a whites-only area of the Roseland Theatre.
She is one of 30 finalists from close to 300 submissions received across Canada.
Each finalist receives a $500 scholarship courtesy of RBC.
A panel of judges from across the country will decide the top three. First place receives a $5,000 scholarship, second place gets a $2,500 scholarship, while third place earns a $1,500 scholarship.
The winners will be announced Feb. 11 and invited to a special event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the contest in Toronto Feb. 28.
