2024 BIPOC student essay contest winners

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is proud to announce the 11 top winners and seven honorable mentions of the 2024 David Hudak Memorial Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color Student Essay Competition.

FFRF has paid out a total of $18,850 in award money for the contest this year.

BIPOC students were asked to write on the topic of “How does religion hinder racial equality and civil rights?” where they were to compose an essay from the perspective of history or currents struggle, religious psychology or personal experience. 

Winners, their ages, the colleges or universities they are attending and the award amounts are listed below. (FFRF seeks to distribute essay scholarship monies to a higher number of students, so ties — such as fourth place in this contest — are not regarded in the typical tie fashion, where, in this instance, fifth place would be skipped.)

FIRST PLACE

Rita Nyamkimah, St. Joseph’s University, $3,500.

SECOND PLACE

Katelyn Boozer, Jacksonville State University, $3,000.

THIRD PLACE

Lionel Walraven, University of Hawaii-Maui, $2,500.

FOURTH PLACE (tie)

Akil Malik, Alabama A&M University, $2,000.

FOURTH PLACE (tie)

William S. Torres, Texas A&M University, $2,000.

FIFTH PLACE

Alexander Lumala,  Arizona State University, $1,500.

SIXTH PLACE

Sarah Ramos-Gonzalez, Yale University, $1,000.

SEVENTH PLACE

Naya Lewis, University of Oregon, $750.

EIGHTH PLACE

Yao Liu, Northeastern University, $500.

NINTH PLACE

Krishna Verma, Simon Fraser University, $400.

TENTH PLACE

Devin Armstrong, University of North Carolina, $300.

HONORABLE MENTION ($200 each)

Jailyn Agard, Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Zyah Bostick, University of North Carolina.

Shaun Chaney, Groucher College.

Dominique Davie, Vanderbilt University.

Georgia Davis, University of Central Arkansas.

Bianca Dishmon, Northwestern University.

Bridelle Toumani, Russell Sage College.

FFRF thanks Lisa Treu for managing the details of this (and FFRF’s other essay competitions).

FFRF would also like to thank our volunteer and staff readers and judges, including: Darrell Barker, Patrick Duff, Kate Garmise, Ricki Grunberg, Linda Josheff, Dan Kettner, Sammi Lawrence, Bernard Leigg, Michael Luther, Katya Maes, Don Onnen, PJ Slinger, Kimberly Waldron and Karen Lee Weidig

This contest is named for the late David Hudak, an FFRF member who left a bequest to generously fund a student essay contest.

FFRF has offered essay competitions to students of color since 2016. It has also offered essay contests open to all college students since 1979, high school students since 1994, grad students since 2010 and one for law students since 2019.