Congratulations, 2023 Winners!
To read the first place winning essays, click on the students' respective names in the list below. These essays express the individual author's opinions and insight and may not necessarily reflect regional, accurate, statistical data.
Eastern Region Winners
1st Place: Christian Garrett, Sault Ste, Marie, MI
2nd Place: Jenna McDonald, Kincheloe, MI
3rd Place: Tamara Nadeau, Manistique, MI
Central Region Winners
1st Place: Lola Korpi, Ishpeming, MI
2nd Place: Amelia Helms-Gleason, Negaunee, MI
3rd Place: Maddyson Jacobson, Negaunee, MI
Western Region Winners
1st Place: Madeline Boehmer, Iron Mountain, MI
2nd Place: Emily Kilpela, Hancock, MI
3rd Place: Robin Kisiel, Chassell, MI
About the Contest
In celebration of this year’s National Rural Health Day, recognized on November 17th, the Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health the Michigan Center for Rural Health (Michigan's State Office of Rural Health), and the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan partnered to extend an opportunity to all high school seniors who reside and attend school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. High school seniors who are college/university bound in fall 2024 and intend to pursue a healthcare career were invited to participate in this essay contest.
Each participant wrote an essay identifying two ways that college and university students can contribute to efforts in any of the five key areas of social determinants of health.
Contest Overview
In celebration of this year’s upcoming National Rural Health Day, recognized on November 16th, the Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health, the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan and the Michigan Center for Rural Health (Michigan's State Office of Rural Health) are partnering to extend an opportunity to all high school seniors who reside and attend school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, are college/university bound in fall 2024, and intend to pursue a healthcare career, are invited to participate in this essay contest.
Contest Prizes
1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will be selected in each of the Eastern, Central and Western regions of the Upper Peninsula. 1st place winners will receive $500, 2nd place winners will receive $250 and 3rd place winners will receive $100. Winners will be notified the second week in November.
Deadline to enter is October 30th, 2023 at noon EST. Winners should anticipate receiving their prize in mid-late January 2024.
Essay Topic to be Addressed:
As you consider a future in healthcare, it’s important to understand and recognize the impact healthcare providers, staff and patients can have on developing and changing systemic issues within the healthcare industry through advocacy.
“Healthcare advocacy on a large-scale guides lawmakers and leaders who form healthcare policy. It supports a well-informed decision-making process regarding programs that affect:
- Patients
- Healthcare environments
- Healthcare providers
Broad healthcare advocacy encourages reforms that put the newest research into practice and cultivate better partnerships within the healthcare industry. It also strives to push for health policies that better account for factors such as poverty, as well as other social and economic circumstances that affect people’s health.
When successful, healthcare advocacy that influences public policy improves individual and community health, which reduces health disparities. Such advocacy guides health policy goals, gets priority legislation passed, and secures the funding needed to support he new policies enacted”.
It is important for those working in the healthcare industry to look beyond patient’s medical needs and incorporate social factors of health into patient care, which forms the foundation of being an advocate. These factors may include education, income and employment, social support and housing, as well as early childhood experiences.
Service providers, whether they are caseworkers, public health educators or clinicians, know firsthand the roadblocks to delivering healthcare services.They are in a strategic position to identify problems,to understand the ways that will work to solve the problems, and to engage their clients and constituents in the process.
Advocacy can be done in many ways, including: seeking changes in government agency policy or practice, working with private businesses or health care institutions, changing laws, introducing ballot initiatives, taking direct group action, and, when necessary, litigation. Often, one or more of these strategies is used to bring about better health or to protect what is now working effectively. The same four steps to make change happen are used in every place where health policy decisions are made.
There are four primary steps to getting started in healthcare advocacy:
1. Get the facts
2. Organize support
3. Define the problem and make your plan
4. Communicate a clear and compelling story of what is wrong and what should be done
Public health advocacy is important because it helps to close health disparity gaps. It can significantly impact the health of underserved populations, help improve the health outcomes of those with disadvantaged backgrounds and can improve the overall health of individuals in communities as well as regions.
The American Public Health Association has an excellent one-page source that discusses the power of advocacy. View here
Essay Question: If you could advocate for one change in the healthcare industry, what would it be and why? (Research the facts, define the issue, communicate a clear and compelling story of what should be done and why.)
*Please note, the registration process and essay submission is designed to take place all at once. Applicants will be unable to save and retrieve information if they are interrupted or unable to complete their registration and essay submission during one login session. Applicants are encouraged to write and save their essay separately in a Word document and then upload their work once they are ready to complete the registration and essay submission process*
Past Contest Winners
Congratulations, 2022 Winners!
To read the winning essays, click on the students' respective names in the list below. These essays express the individual author's opinions and insight and may not necessarily reflect regional, accurate, statistical data.
Eastern Region Winners
1st Place: Kiarie Williams, Sault Ste Marie, MI
2nd Place: Morgan Brow, Sault Ste Marie, MI
3rd Place: Nevaeh Haines, Pickford, MI
Central Region Winners
1st Place: Madison Couillard, Rapid River, MI
2nd Place: Hannah Ruuska, Marquette, MI
3rd Place: Megan Dausey, Rapid River, MI
Western Region Winners
1st Place: Meghan Hemmer, Houghton , MI
About the Contest
In celebration of this year’s National Rural Health Day, recognized on November 17th, the Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health the Michigan Center for Rural Health (Michigan's State Office of Rural Health), and the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan partnered to extend an opportunity to all high school seniors who reside and attend school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. High school seniors who are college/university bound in fall 2022 and intend to pursue a healthcare career were invited to participate in this essay contest.
Each participant wrote an essay identifying two ways that college and university students can contribute to efforts in any of the five key areas of social determinants of health.
Congratulations 2021 Winners!
To read the winning essays, click on the students' respective names in the list below. These essays express the individual author's opinions and insight and may not necessarily reflect regional, accurate, statistical data.
Eastern Region Winners
1st Place: Kylie Goodman, Rudyard, MI
2nd Place: Addie Berg, Sault Ste Marie, MI
3rd Place: Siersha Miller, Brimley, MI
Central Region Winners
1st Place: Olivia Bohl, Marquette, MI
2nd Place: Abigail Racine, Ishpeming, MI
3rd Place: Aiden Swanson, Marquette, MI
Western Region Winners
1st Place: Madison Myhren, Ontonagon, MI
2nd Place: Miranda Juntunen, Chassell, MI
3rd Place: Makayla Johnson, Baraga, MI
About the Contest
In celebration of this year’s National Rural Health Day, recognized on November 19th, the Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health and the Michigan Center for Rural Health (Michigan's State Office of Rural Health) partnered to extend an opportunity to all high school seniors who reside and attend school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. High school seniors who are college/university bound in fall 2022 and intend to pursue a healthcare career were invited to participate in this essay contest.
Each participant wrote an essay identifying challenges to the Emergency Medical Services industry in their rural region of the Upper Peninsula.
Congratulations 2020 Winners!
We received over 40 entries into the 2020 National Rural Health Day Essay contest from across the Upper Peninsula. We are thrilled to share this year's winners. To read their winning essays, click on the students' respective names in the list below.
Eastern Region Winners
- Kaylin Burton - $500
- Joseph Erbetta - $250
- Catherine Roelant - $100
Central Region Winners
- Abbey Leinonen - $500
- Madison Balko - $250
- Kiana Schuettpelz-Cornelius - $100
About the Contest
In celebration of this year’s National Rural Health Day, recognized on November 19th, the Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health and the Michigan Center for Rural Health (Michigan's State Office of Rural Health) partnered to extend an opportunity to all high school seniors who reside and attend school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. High school seniors who are college/university bound in fall 2021 and intend to pursue a healthcare career were invited to participate in this essay contest.
Each participant wrote an essay identifying two challenges people encounter when it comes to preventative health care in their rural region of the Upper Peninsula and then explained two solutions for overcoming these challenges.