An essay by University of New Orleans student Rebekah Berger May earned an Honorable Mention award in the 2011 Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest. Her essay, “Plank,” on the subject of ethics and politics, was chosen as one of the top five essays among hundreds submitted by students across the country in the annual competition sponsored by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. She is the first Louisiana college student to be honored in the history of the competition.
May, a senior English major and New Orleans native, has been invited to New York this summer to accept her award and $500 prize. She will graduate from UNO in May.
The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity established the Prize in Ethics Essay Contest in 1989. Since that time, thousands of students from hundreds of universities have participated, exploring ethical questions while sharing their concerns, beliefs, hopes and fears. To see a list of all current and past winners, visit the Foundation’s website at: http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/2011prizewinners.aspx.