Northampton Area High School senior Wesley Burkit carried Northampton to a new honor with his achievement in the Voice of Democracy audio-essay competition.

The annual competition is hosted by Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts to provide scholarship opportunities to high school students seeking higher education. VFW Post 4714, Northampton, is the local group.

Burkit earned first place at the local and district level and fifth place overall at the state level, which is the highest position earned by an NAHS student.

VFW is a nonprofit organization that aids veterans and military service members from active, guard and reserved forces. It was established in 1899 and originated to secure rights and benefits for medical treatment after many veterans returned home with little resources for aid.

The nonprofit organization developed the Voice of Democracy audio-essay program in 1947 to provide opportunities for scholarships and hear the young voices of America and their take on modern affairs.

Burkit’s participation was encouraged by his AP government teacher, Jerry Batcha, who is a major source of motivation and inspiration to Burkit. Batcha had also gotten Burkit to participate the year before and knew he would make it far with this year’s theme. Students were asked to write and record an essay on “America: Where Do We Go from Here?”

Burkit decided to use words of imagery to have the reader visualize a tangible leather-bound journal sitting before them. He described the book as a relic of America’s past and future, with multiple authors noting historical events page by page. The ink used on these pages is what rose to our nation’s freedom, which he argued is still the topic of focus for the present writer.

Burkit promoted active listening as a great vehicle for change, stating, “When our voices can be heard, whether it be a small-business owner or a community member’s concerns, change and growth can be expedited.”

Following the completion of his senior year, Burkit plans to attend Paul Smith’s College in upstate New York as an environmental science major, with hopes of becoming a park ranger.