Around this time of year, high school seniors apply for just about every scholarship there is in hopes of gaining some college cash. However, winning the cash is another story. Senior Autumn Rendall is one of the lucky few that is receiving. Rendall has won first at the local and district level of the Voice of Democracy Scholarship and has already gained $1,600. She’s working her way up to Nationals, where she has the chance to win $30,000 for college.

The VFW (Voice of Democracy) Scholarship is about spreading patriotism and helping future generations. It is an audio-essay that has the applicants write a 1,000-word essay and record themselves delivering the essay in the form of a speech. Around 40,000 high school students across the country applied in the hopes of winning the $30,000. With so many applicants, one must have a passion for writing if they want a shot at advancing to nationals.

“I’m a unique person,” Rendall said. “It’s harder for me to express my feelings to people verbally, so I’ve always enjoyed writing to get the things out of my head and into words.”

Growing up, Rendall considered herself an anti-social child and struggled with anxiety and depression. To cope, she turned towards writing and other arts that allow her the freedom of expressing herself. She uses her words to spread kindness and happiness to those around her.

“Writing  is my escape,” Rendall said. “I write about everything I think and feel along with songs and stories. I’ve never been good at conversation due to my hopeless, awkward ways, so this medium is my way of expressing myself.”

Aside from spreading positive vibes through her words and other art forms, Rendall is also an advocate for human rights; after hearing about what was required for this scholarship, it seemed like the perfect match. Being able to express her opinion towards human rights through her words made writing the essay less stressful.

“Writing this essay was fun for me because a lot of the tones I discussed in it related back to fundamental rights,” Rendall said. “A lot of Americans take their privileges for granted and forget where they came from. That leads to a level of ungratefulness longer than the growing obesity rate.”

Because writing is such a big part of her life, Rendall’s dream is to become a traveling journalist because being able to report on issues many people overlook is something she really enjoys.

“Writing is my true love and I will never tire of her,” Rendall said.