When Madera High School senior Erika Rodriguez was given an extracredit assignment in her civics class, the subject matter hit close to home.
She quickly went to work on a two-page essay. Then she had to turn it into a speech.
Rodriguez was informed last week by social science teacher Mike Hinton that she won the Veteran of Foreign Wars’ “Voice of Democracy” essay and speech contest from Madera Post 1981, which covers Madera County. She also placed fourth in the district competition.
“I was kind of zoned out in class and my friend told me that I won,” Rodriguez said...