Our news network is celebrating the nation's birth with monthly scholarships to area seniors.
The Fideri News Network is pleased to announce the March winners of its essay scholarship contest, commemorating our nation’s semiquincentennial anniversary.
The competition began in February and runs through June 2026, giving high school seniors from the region an opportunity to earn a $1,000 scholarship and to have their essay published across the Fideri News Network media.
Each month has a different prompt, and the March essay was based on this question:
Propose a new constitutional amendment that you believe is necessary and justify your reasoning.
The submissions were evaluated by the Fideri News Network team using a specific scoring rubric.
The winner of the March scholarship is Zoe Goodbinder, a senior from Harriton High School located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
“Thank you to the Fideri News Network for this scholarship! It is an incredible feeling to be recognized for writing about something I am so passionate about,” said Zoe in response to the news of winning first place. “I remember wondering whether it was worth submitting to this contest, and I ultimately decided that even if I didn’t win, the experience alone would make it worthwhile. To anyone out there considering applying, I encourage you to give it a shot! I look forward to using this scholarship in the coming years as I pursue my studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.”
All of us at Fideri congratulate Zoe on her wonderful submission. The first two paragraphs of her essay follow, and the full submission is online here.
“Out of all the colors in the rainbow, isn’t it interesting how blue and red seem to be the only ones that matter? Since I was old enough to watch the news, I’ve seen how damaging polarization is to our country. Every major issue, whether border security, plastic bans, or school safety, frequently gets reduced to a Republican versus Democrat divide, leaving little room for real solutions.
I propose an amendment that removes the party system within our electoral process. Candidates would instead run as individuals, marketed only by their ideology and policies. Too often, people vote based on party loyalty rather than the experience and promise of the candidates themselves. Even worse, those who do not align with their state’s dominant party feel their vote has no real impact. Without political parties, elections and public discourse would shift from ‘red versus blue’ to real policy evaluation, fostering cooperation and reducing gridlock.”
Brianna Miller, the second-place winner, from North Penn High School (Image courtesy of Brianna Miller)Coming in a close second place is Brianna Miller, a senior from North Penn High School located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
"I am deeply thankful to the selection committee for this honor,” said Brianna in response to earning second place. “I would like to thank both of my parents for pushing me to apply myself and for proofreading my work. Thank you for this opportunity!"
Fideri News Network congratulates Brianna on her excellent submission. The first two paragraphs of her essay follow, and the full submission is on our site here.
“Throughout the 250 years that the United States has existed, we have only seen 27 constitutional amendments. This is, in part, due to how tedious and contentious the amendment process is. The amendment must be proposed by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, or by a convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures. It then must be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures or through special state conventions in three-fourths of the states. It is near impossible to get past even the first hurdle of getting both the House and the Senate to come together to agree on a cause, given how divided our government and politics have become.
A constitutional amendment must be vital for democracy because of these difficulties. Anything that is not absolutely necessary for the success of our democracy or can be warped to cause an imbalance in government will be unable to pass through this tedious process. The amendment I propose would eliminate Super PACs in our government.”
Fideri News Network congratulates our winners and those who submitted essays. Seniors across the region are encouraged to participate in the monthly competition. Entries are due by the 15th of May and June. Each month has a unique question for the essay deadline. For more information, visit the Fideri News Network America 250 page.
