PARKER’S LOOK UP CHILDREN’S ESSAY CONTEST-2021 GRADES 1 to 5
ANANYA BHAI Our Young Wordsmiths make us proud!!!!
THANK YOU, SWATI MOHAN
WRITTEN BY ANANYA BHAI, AGE 9 IN 2021
As she walked the world through the steps of slowing down a spacecraft soaring at 12,000 mph to land in an ancient crater, Swati Mohan’s story began to
sparkle. Swati immigrated from India to the United States when she was a year old. Now, she’s the lead of the GN&C (Guidance, Navigation, and Controls) Nasa team. During the Perseverance Mars Rover’s landing, Swati provided much of the commentary and was even the one who said the magic words: “Successful Landing Confirmed”.
At the age of 9, after having watched 'Star Trek' for the first time, Swati was inspired by the thrilling descriptions of the never-discovered-before planets. That shed new light on the thought of space exploration, so when she had the chance, Swati made that dream a reality. The first thing you’ll notice if you look at an image of Swati Mohan is her blooming black-red bindi. That’s right, a bindi. Most of the other commentators had a formal attire, and nothing else. Swati, on the other hand, had a purple dyed braid in her hair. She didn’t think twice about being creative. She didn’t care that her style was different. As I examined my TV on Feb 18, waiting excitedly for the NASA launch, I was amazed at how calmly Swati spoke. This was the moment in which she would find out if 8 ½ years of work would pay or explode, however Swati was still patiently guiding 15,000+ people into Perseverance’s exciting path. As the lead, Swati Mohan spoke quite often, and each word was clear, filled with detail. I was astonished, but that wasn’t just it. I was… inspired. When you think
of a role model, who pops into your mind? Albert Einstein? Francis Drake? John Hawkins? All these are amazing role model, but I don’t see myself in them, I don’t connect with them. It’s different with Swati. She wasn’t afraid to be in a place where people are different, where she stood out. That is truly inspiring for a brown girl like me, with immigrant parents, growing up in America! Look at where Swati is now. It all happened because she herself was inspired. And now, she is inspiring a new generation of immigrant children. Ones who go on to become scientists, astronauts, heroes. Heroes who will, in time, change the world.
REFERENCES:
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/landing/watchonline/ https://mars.nasa.gov/people/profile/index.cfm?id=22937 https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/02/touchdown-confirmedswati-mohan-04- called-mars-landing
FREE VERSE These poems do not follow any rules. They have no rhyme or rhythm. Some of these poems follow natural speech patterns, while others use shortened or extended lines to convey thoughts and emotions. It can be about any topic, but free verses are usually very emotionally driven pieces.
Time to Smile Free Verse by Alexandra Saii, Age 12
In the dimly lit room, there is a jar.
A jar full of little pieces of paper. Letters are scrawled on these pieces, spelling out things she loves. When she is sad, her hand hovers over the little pieces, and, she picks one. Her lips curl into a small smile.
DOLPHINS BY MAIA LWIN, AGE 7 Dolphins Dolphins make me glad They cheer me up when I am sad. Just one look will make you smile You’ll be playing in a while. A dolphin’s skin is smooth and gray Dolphins will take your fears away. After you play you will find That dolphins are one of a kind. Some mammals are big and some are small But dolphins are the best of all.
GOING GREEN POEM BY ANOOHYA PANIDAPU, AGE 6 YEARS Going green is a wonderful thing to do. Save the earth and the atmosphere too. What can we do to go green? The answer is simple and as easy as learning 1, 2, 3... Come on let's do it, step by step Recycle and reuse, it'll make a big difference. Clean, Clean, Clean to go green Clean up the cans, paper, plastic and don't litter. Earth is home for people, animals and plants, so keep it clean. Save, Save, Save, water when you are not using it. Plant, Plant, Plant, trees in your garden and go green. Save, Save, Save, the energy and power. Here are some tips-walk and carpool, turn off the lights, TV, computer when not in use. There are more ways to go green. You have the power to change the world, go green, make the difference. Take the pledge to go green and save the planet Earth. I love going green and spreading the word to go green. GO GREEN!!!
THE IMPACTS AND BENEFITS OF FOREIGN AID Written by Manit Sripadam, Age 12 in 2014 In countries across the globe, some countries need a little help so they can have stability. This is known as foreign aid where international countries give relief to other areas in times of need. Foreign aid helps rebuild countries like Belgium, Germany, and Japan. Foreign Aid
helps provides countries with assistance for the future so they can help support their own country and millions of lives each and every day. Foreign aid provides many positive outlooks for countries. Additional capital can lift societies above subsistence and out of the “poverty trap” making the countries go the extra mile. Economic and other forms of support can have tremendous spillover effects in the long run that multiply the effects of the original aid. Execution of projects builds national competence and results in highly proficient local specialists such as building institutions. Aid programs
have been refined over the years to best meet the needs of developing countries; electronic banking is one notable example. Scientific tools and knowledge are disseminated and form the base of a long-term application of new technologies.
Education and health aid build self-sufficient societies, transforming future generations. Aid enhances diplomatic relationships among countries and long-term world stability. Some people say that foreign assistance inhibits domestic initiative, but by giving foreign assistance it gives the extra hand needed to take initiative and lift countries out of poverty. Some people believe that developing countries lack the necessary institutional capacity to execute development programs funded by international resources. But, by building institutions developing countries are able to execute development programs and creating highly proficient specialists who are local. All in all, foreign aid helps countries go the extra mile so they can start developing, which will improve their domestic infrastructure
and can help their people.
“When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you do not stoop to their level. Our motto is when they go low, you go high.” ― Former First Lady Michelle Obama.
WHAT IS A BULLY Written by Jeevan Gosal, Age 10, in 2014 What is a bully? A bully is someone mean who physically and emotionally hurts other kids or teens. I think bullies should be kicked out of school for a long time. If they stay in school, they will continue bullying. I think they should stay out of school for at least one month. You might think one month is a long time, but bullies should feel how sad it is for the innocent kids who are getting bullied. Kids who are bullied should have school time off for three days. Another reason bullies should be kicked out of school is the kids who are bullied should have school without the bullies. I also think we need more allies to stick up for the kids who are being bullied.
We need more allies. What is an ally? An ally is a friend, or someone who sticks up for you. If we had more allies, bullying could stop.
How can allies help? Allies can help when they see a friend or a kid being bullied; they can tell them to stop! The allies who stick up for the kids being bullied should be rewarded. I have seen lots of bullying, and I have stuck up for those kids. It feels very good. Lastly, I think bullying is horrible and it should stop. Think about all of the innocent kids or teens that probably come home from school every day and just cry and never want to go to school. With allies, we can make the bullies stop bullying innocent kids. To top it off, I don’t like bullying, and with the help of allies, we can
stop bullying. Those are my thoughts and reasons about bullying and why it should stop.