Windsor High School senior Michelle Graham won the Eastern Region award in the Strong Men and Women in Virginia History student writing contest. The contest was sponsored by Dominion Virginia Power and the Library of Virginia.

Four winning essays were chosen, one from each of the four regions that Dominion Virginia Power serves.

Virginia high school students were invited to honor outstanding African-Americans by participating in the student writing contest. The prompt was a quote by Civil Rights Activist Nannie Mae Berger Hairston: “I want children to remember that the most important part of your life is your character. It goes with you all through your life. I learned long ago that to make it a better world, it had to begin with me.”

Michelle was encouraged to participate in the contest by WHS Latin teacher James Wickenden, who also served as her sponsor.

She won a new HP Pavilion laptop for herself and $1,000 for the school, which will be received at the awards ceremony in January.