7th place — 2024 high school essay contest: Natalie Mendoza

FFRF awarded Natalie $750.

By Natalie Mendoza

I am one of the lucky ones. My parents did not brainwash me in religion. Growing up, my atheist parents nurtured my curiosity and desire to learn. My parents’ encouragement had a profoundly positive impact on every aspect of my life. Specifically, atheism leaves me free to learn about the world, create and engineer new ideas to benefit the world, and to experience joy, pride and confidence while doing so.

Indeed, the lack of religion shapes the values of “Nones,” like me. We value science, logic and reason far more than religiously affiliated individuals. For example, 56 percent of Nones believe that “science does more good than harm” according to a Pew Research Cetner study. In contrast, only 40 percent of religiously affiliated adults believe that “science does more good than harm.”

However, according to a Pew Research survey, only 39 percent of Nones reported voting in the 2022 elections. This is a problem. To reinstitute and maintain the secular ideals of our constitutional republic, Nones must advocate for pro-liberty and pro-science policies by signing petitions, writing letters to their politicians, and voting for politicians and ballot measures that align with secular ideals. The question becomes: “How do we increase the number of Nones who vote?”

The Pew Research survey found that the disparity in the religiosity of voters stemmed from differences in engagement within a religious community. To combat this disparity, Nones must form communities and affiliations that work to make science and truth the driving forces in politics. The Nones must continue to build adjacent organizations that similarly advocate for science-backed and freedom-based policies that protect the rights of all Americans. Since the number of Americans identifying as “none” is increasing rapidly among individuals in Gen Z, college-aged Nones should work together and across campuses to advocate against religious tyranny and for individual rights.

Although the religious right has worked to erase American freedoms and secular ideals for decades, the growing number of Nones have the power to fight back against the religious right and support legislation based on science, reason and individual rights. To do so, we must build communities centered on our secular values.

Natalie, 18, is from Tempe, Ariz., and attends Arizona State University, where she plans to major in biomedical engineering and computer science. “I have served as a commissioner on my city’s Sustainability and Resilience Commission, and I hiked and backpacked 44 percent of the Arizona Trail with my mom,” Natalie writes. “After I earn my undergraduate degrees, I plan to earn a master’s degree in biomedical engineering. After that, I hope to pursue a career as a biomedical engineer working for a large pharmaceutical or biotechnology company.”