An Englewood student’s vision of what she would do if she were the mayor has paid off in a big way.
Destiney Morris, a 17-year-old senior at Englewood Community Academy High School, is the winner of the 2011 Black History Month Scholarship Essay Contest.
Chicago City Treasurer Stephanie Neely surprised Morris with a giant check for $1,000 in front of her mother, classmates, teachers and Principal Peggy Korellis-Byrd.
Morris said she has already been accepted at the University of Illinois Chicago, and the scholarship money will go directly to the school.
The scholarship contest was based on this question: "As the new mayor of Chicago, what are your economic and neighborhood development goals for your administration specifically in the African-American communities?”
In her essay Morris wrote that she wants to be able to walk down the street "without feeling as if I needed to dodge a bullet."
She writes that fountains and green spaces, churches, and businesses that hire residents are all part of the solution. Morris also writes that the single word that best describes a mayor’s obligation is "responsibility"… "to make sure your city is happy and prospering."
Morris' full essay:
