Thank you for your interest in the Washington Post's Young Pundit Essay Contest. As the leading newspaper in our nation's capital, we are always looking for budding journalistic talent to bring a fresh point of view our editorial pages, as well as our online site and sister publications like Newsweek and Slate. While competition for this prestigious prize is expected to be fierce, we will give each entry personal attention. Please provide background information about yourself, followed by your essay. This year's theme is "What the Constitution Means to Me." Please write or type legibly.
Personal Information
First Name __Ezra______
Last Name __Klein______
High School / College / University ___UCLA_(beat SC!!)___
Gender _x_ Male ___ Female ___ Transgendered
Ethnicity
___ African-American ___ Latino/a ____ Native American / Aleut
___ Samoan / Polynesian / Fijian / Pacific Islander ___ Arab / North African / Middle Eastern
___ Creole / Haitian / Jamaican ___ East Asian ___ South Asian ___ Vietnamese / Laotian
___ Basque ___ Antarctican ___ Mixed Ethnicity _x_ White
Major / GPA ___Political Science_/_4.0 (honors)________
Academic Activities
List relevant high school or university activities (athletics, clubs, student government, etc.)
Poli-Sci Club 1-2-3-4; Journalism Club 1-2-3-4 (President) Yearbook 2-3-4 (Assistant Sales Manager); Future Wonks of America 2-3-4 (President); intramural badminton 1; equipment manager for Trouble A-Bruin, UCLA's premier acapella journalism glee choir
Awards / Honors
Deans List, 11 consecutive quarters
12-time winner of the UCLA Poli-Sci Department Undergraduate Apple Polisher of the Month
Work Experience
List your paid employment experience, order starting from your most recent job. Use additional sheets if necessary.
Other Accomplishments
List any personal accomplishments - businesses started, volunteer and charity work, religious participation, discoveries, inventions, scientific / technical expertise, musical compositions, participation in performing arts, etc. - that you believe would help you as a potential columnist for the Washington Post.
*President and Founder, JournoList after-school social media chat room
*Sold nearly $800 of ads for UCLA Yearbook
*typing speed 60 wpm
*familiar with WordPress
Your Essay
Please explain, in your own words, "What the Constitution Means to Me." Use footnotes where necessary, specifying relevant sources. Your essay should be 500 to 1000 words, not including footnotes.
The Constitution is very important. It is very important because the Constitution is an important part of the American government, which is as we all know very important also. It can be juxtaposed with other important books and journalism writings which can be found in various history studies.
According to Wikipedia1, the Constitution was discovered over 100 years ago, but is still going strong today. It was discovered by the "Founding Fathers" such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and so forth. Although we often call them the "Founding Fathers" there were many women who were also important in this process who have been far too overlooked. Although these people are now mostly passed away, we still remember them for their importance.
It is important to remember that there are three main parts to the Constitution. First there is the first part. Then comes the middle part of the Constitution. Finally, there is the last part. In the first part of the Constitution we are introduced to the colorful characters, who can often be juxtaposed. This first part helps to, i.e., set up the "tone" for the rest of the Constitution.
The next part of the Constitution, the middle, is considered by many people to be the main most important part. However, there are other people who disagree with this interpretation, which has led to controversy and conflict. I have to say that I personally side with the people who think it is the most important, because the middle is where the main crux of the Constitution happens. For example, e.g., the middle is the part where we find the Woman's Right to Choose and the Miranda part, which is a critical issue still today2. In the middle you will also various parts about African-Americans, and especially journalism.
Finally there is the last part of the Constitution, which, as many people have noted, can be juxtaposed with the earlier parts. For people who haven't read the Constitution, I recommend reading it all the way too the end to see how it is juxtaposed in a very important way. I don't want to give out any "spoilers," because it's really amazing.
Because the Constitution is so old, it is written in the "old-timey" language of people of more than one century ago, which leads many modern people to get confused and frustrated by it. "What is this stupid boring thing?" they will ask, then go back to playing Super Mario Cart. These modern people could not be any more wrong, because hidden underneath all the "so-called" confusing words is an exciting story with twists and turns everywhere. Fortunately, and most importantly, the Founding Fathers also invented the Supreme Court which does a good job of translating the Constitution into modern words and juxtaposing them for all of us, the American people of the United States.
And this is, in at least five hundred words, not including the foot notes, what the Constitution means to me.
Footnotes
1. http://www.wikipedia.com
2. Law and Order, NBC-TV
