AFSA NEWS 66 OCTOBER 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA Selects High School Essay Contest Winner Justin Ahn, a junior at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Mass., is the winner of this year’s AFSA national high school essay contest. Ahn won with his essay, “Mending Bridges: U.S.– Vietnam Reconciliation from 1995 to Today,” in which he focuses on successful reconciliation efforts by the Foreign Service in transforming the U.S.–Vietnam relationship from postwar tension to a close economic and strategic partnership. As the winner of the contest, Ahn will be awarded $2,500. He will receive a fulltuition scholarship for an educational voyage with Semester at Sea during college and was invited to Washington, D.C., to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Aug. 15. Joining the award recipient were AFSA President Tom Yazdgerdi, AFSA Education Outreach Coordinator Erin Oliver, U.S. Institute of Peace Vice President of Civic Engagement and Scholarship Michael Yaffe, and U.S. Institute of Peace Senior Outreach Officer Megan Chabalowski. This year’s runner-up is Niccolo Duina, a junior at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Ark. He wrote an essay titled “Reviving Democracy in the Philippines.” Duina was awarded $1,250 and a full-tuition scholarship to attend the International Diplomacy program of the National Student Leadership Conference this past summer. Every year, AFSA welcomes essay submissions from students in grades nine through 12 that address diplomacy, peacebuilding, and the U.S. Foreign Service. This was the contest’s 25th year. Students were prompted to write about a country or region in which the Foreign Service has been involved since 1924 and to describe how American diplomats were successful or unsuccessful in advancing U.S. foreign policy goals, including promoting peace. This year, AFSA received 416 essay submissions from 44 states and numerous locations abroad. The winners were selected in three randomized, blind rounds of judging. The judges also named eight honorable mentions: Santiago Castro-Luna of Chevy Chase, Md.; Dante Chittenden of Grimes, Iowa; Merle Hezel of Denver, Colo.; Adarsh Khullar of Villa Hills, Ky.; Nicholas Nall of Little Rock, Ark.; Ashwin Telang of West Windsor, N.J.; Himani Yarlagadda of Northville, Mich.; and Sophia Zhang of San Jose, Calif. AFSA is thrilled to have received so many essay submissions this year and appreciates the support of our valued educational partners: the United States Institute of Peace, the National Student Leadership Conference, and Semester at Sea. To learn more about AFSA’s essay contest and other educational initiatives, visit afsa.org/students. n Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulates AFSA’s high school essay contest winner Justin Ahn at the State Department on Aug. 15. AFSA national high school essay contest runner-up Niccolo Duina. RON PRZYSUCHA COURTESY OF NICCOLO DUINA MED Town Halls Continued from page 56 having to say goodbye to their old friends. All of this makes our lifestyle stressful.” While these challenges are not new, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a spike in demand for mental health services, Dr. Kerrihard said. One misconception he sees often is that people think they need to have a psychiatric diagnosis or a mental health condition to see the regional psychiatrist. “That’s not true,” Kerrihard said. “I have many people who just come in [once] to vent or talk about a difficult situation at work or with their family. Other people will see us for years.” In Washington, D.C., MED’s Employee Consultation Services (ECS) provide free, confidential support to Foreign Service members, Civil Service employees, and Continued on page 67
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