BURLINGTON, Vt., March 24 – Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday will hold a roundtable discussion with the student finalists of his fifteenth annual State of the Union Essay Contest at the Vermont State House. 

This year, 475 students from 25 Vermont high schools submitted essays. A panel of nine Vermont educators served as volunteer judges, ranking the essays and selecting 12 finalists and three winners. Students wrote on critically important issues, including climate change, access to mental health care, the opioid epidemic, immigration reform, the housing crisis, political polarization, and the cost of higher education. Sanders also entered the finalists’ essays into the Congressional Record, the official archive of the U.S. Congress. 

Read the essays of the winners and finalists here. 

Details:

What: State of the Union Essay Contest Roundtable with student finalists and Sen. Sanders

When: Saturday, March 29, 2:00 p.m. 

Where: Vermont State House, House Chamber 

Notes: Attendance is limited to student participants, their invited guests, and members of the press. Media members must RSVP by contacting press@sanders.senate.gov. Please be in place 15 minutes prior to the event start time. All attendees are expected to follow Vermont Department of Health guidance, monitor symptoms, and are encouraged to take a rapid COVID-19 test prior to the event.