From staff reports
PITTSBURGH – Clarion teen Gabrielle Stewart understands when it comes to making important life decisions, there are no re-dos. And this understanding gave her an idea: Life is a little bit like a choose-your-own-adventure story. The idea won her $10,000 in scholarship funds.
Stewart, a senior at Clarion Area High School and a resident of Shippenville, was selected as the $10,000 grand prize winner of the 2016 Edgar Snyder and Associates “Words to be Heard” scholarship contest for “The Choice is Yours,” her choose-your-own-path presentation which allows “players” to make a series of decisions during a hypothetical night out.
The contest, in its tenth year, challenged high school seniors from western and central Pennsylvania to create projects discouraging other teens from drunk driving and texting while driving. Since 2007, Edgar Snyder and Associates has granted 80 scholarships amounting to over $100,000 in scholarship money.
Inspired by the choose-your-own-adventure books she read as a child, Stewart’s presentation begins with participants choosing whether or not they want to attend a house party on a Friday night.
From there, participants continue to make a series of decisions leading to events that determine the final outcome of their night, such as if they choose to drink, who they choose to drive home with, and if they call for help.
Each route comes with its own consequences, ranging from a quiet night at home to friends with severe injuries.
Keeping her original idea in mind, Stewart wanted to show others how even seemingly small decisions can have large impacts on their life. “You need to be aware of your own choices,” Stewart said about her entry. “You have to think, What effect could this have later on?'”
“One of the hallmarks of this scholarship contest is that it allows high school students to use their own voices,” said Attorney Edgar Snyder. “Young people learn a lot from their peers, and when a peer warns you about the dangers of distracted driving, it can be that much more effective.”
And Stewart agrees, “By participating in a project like this, teens can take ownership. It forces them to acknowledge it’s not just an adult issue.”
Stewart will use her scholarship to attend the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University this fall. She plans to explore her interests in the arts, sciences, and humanities before deciding on her course of study.
Stewart’s winning entry was selected out of over 150 entries. Finalists in the scholarship contest were reviewed by and voted on by a panel of community judges at the Pittsburgh-area office of Edgar Snyder and Associates.
To view all of the winning entries and to learn more about the Edgar Snyder and Associates “Words to be Heard” scholarship contest, visit www.edgarsnyder.com/scholarship.