Lone Star College-Montgomery announces Constitution Day essay winners

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Lone Star College-Montgomery recently celebrated the 229th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution with a student essay contest.

Three finalists won Amazon gift cards for their take on the question, “Do laws regarding ‘hate speech’ violate the Constitution?”

"The essays were well-rounded and diverse in their opinions," said Dana Morales, political science professor, who was also a facilitator and helped judge the essay contest. "We required five scholarly sources, but many participants went beyond that citing modern day examples. All students did a great job connecting real-world scenarios to the living document that is the Constitution."

Octavian Becciu, an LSC-Montgomery student studying Business Administration, won first place.

“I am competitive so I wanted to try, and I liked the question they were asking,” Becciu said. “I wish there were more contests with controversial topics, so people can express their opinions.”

He wrote about conservative host Rush Limbaugh’s polarizing rants. Through the essay, Becciu came to the conclusion “Everyone who expresses a vexed opinion is on track to offend someone. But without infringing on anybody’s right, the hatefulness should be shot down by reason and rigorous confrontation of better words.”

Sydney Strange, an LSC-Montgomery student studying anthropology, won second place.

“I want to thank my history professor, Professor Lust, for offering us extra credit for writing and submitting this essay to the contest,” Strange said. “I am also taking an English class so I thought it would be good practice.”

Strange wrote about how freedom of speech can teach more effective communication, if we “learn how to listen … and continue to grow together as a society and also as individuals. Peace is an important aspect to keep in mind when expressing your opinion and will always be an important part of every society.”

Tara Robinson, an Air Force veteran and LSC-Montgomery student deciding between majoring in sonography or forensics, won third place.

“I usually enter essay contests because I enjoy writing,” Robinson said. “I was really shocked when I found out I won.”

Robinson wrote about her personal experience while in the service under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. She writes, “When you enlist in the military, you are a GI, you are government issued, and your voice is no longer yours.”

Robinson ends her essay saying she is still adjusting to having a voice and an opinion of her own, but “If we start regulating free speech, we will begin becoming a totalitarian dictatorship ... and that is not what America believes in.”

For more information about Lone Star College-Montgomery, visit www.lonestar.edu/montgomery.