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Virginia State Winner

Sarah Winn
Portsmouth, VA
Home School
11th Grade

What does it mean to be an American? I was born in America and by definition that makes me an American citizen. But what is the true meaning of being an American? It is having an unwavering love for America. The everyday goal of an American is to make America a better place, whether that means being a senator and helping the government run smoothly or a stay-at-home mom raising the next generation of Americans! To find the true meaning of what it means to be an American, I look to my country, my family, my friends, and myself.

As for my country, America is a nation that stands for freedom. Freedom according to Webster's dictionary is an "enjoyment of personal liberty." With this liberty and this freedom come great responsibility; the first is realizing that with freedom there must be laws to protect what we have; the second is abiding by those laws that are set down. This freedom does not promise fame or fortune but it does promise us "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Most citizens today were born in America, but many people hope of coming to America for a brighter future. My doctor is from the Philippines; her family sent her to college in America, where she became a doctor. Now, her family is coming to America one at a time, all of them building towards a better life in America. My country is the great land of opportunity, open to all who have a love of FREEDOM!

My family is an average American family; my Dad goes to work everyday to support my Mom and all of us children (three in college and myself in high school). He exemplifies the American dream everyday, to make America a better place. By supporting his children through college, he is not only investing in his family's future but in the future of America as well.

My friends are all very different, some are Catholic, some are Baptists, some go to public school, and some are home-schooled. Through our differences, there is a common thread that binds us together and that thread is freedom. Even though we may worship God differently or look at education differently, we all understand that freedom is what binds us together as a nation.

Finally, I ask myself "what makes me an American?" It is not that my family pays taxes or is actively involved in the community, but I am an American because I am a lover of freedom, a lover of dreams, a lover of knowledge, a lover of our heritage, a lover of government, a lover of people (for America is the "Melting Pot" of all peoples) and finally, because I am a lover of America!

The solid ground of freedom in America is the foundation on which we stand up for the weak and weary, giving them hope and strength to finish the race set before them! The lives of those before us show that our great nation has a government that is "for the people and by the people." Freedom is synonymous with America. It is the cornerstone of the greatest nation in the world. To be a true American, one must love freedom and be willing to do what is necessary to protect that freedom.