When it came time for Hall Middle School student Kenyamarie Mahone to write a creative essay on the topic, ?Why I am Glad that America is a Nation of Immigrants,? she put herself in the shoes of an immigrant.
Kenyamarie, 11, of Corte Madera, decided to pen imaginary diary entries of a young girl during World War II and the Holocaust.
?I tried to make it feel like you were her going through that situation and what it would feel like if you had to move and how great America is because it?s so diverse,? Kenyamarie said.
Her story took third place among more than 350 entries in the Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest, a competition for fifth-graders sponsored by the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She will read her essay Wednesday morning during a naturalization ceremony for some 1,200 new U.S. citizens at Oakland?s Paramount Theater.
?It?s compelling when someone can empathize with someone at an important moment in history,? said Tala Hartsough, director of the creative writing contest and member of the lawyers association. ?Her essay reflects the reasons that people move place to place in the world.?
The essays are screened by two rounds of volunteer groups that include lawyers, paralegals and legal assistants, before being judged by a panel of 20 celebrity judges, which this year included Rep. Nancy Pelosi as well as Marin County Superintendent of Schools Mary Jane Burke.
?It?s inspiration, because it speaks directly to the experience of the audience of 1,200 people who had the experience of immigrating to the United States,? said Sharon Rummery, public affairs officer for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Kenyamarie?s imaginary diary entries describe the journey of a young girl and her sister from Nazi Germany to Chinatown, where their fear of the unknown turns into appreciation of how diverse and welcoming their new home is.
She said she looks forward to speaking in front of a large audience of immigrants.
?I think about all the different places they probably come from,? she said. ?I want to show that America is a great country because everyone is from different places. It doesn?t really matter where you?re from in America because there are so many different types of people.?
Kenyamarie attributes her interest in writing to her father, Ken Mahone, a published novelist. In addition to inspiring his daughter to write, he said he encourages thoughtful writing in both of his daughters through a unique system of discipline; whenever they face serious punishment, the Mahone daughters must write a 10-page essay.
?It?s almost a welcoming that (Kenyamarie) gets to write a story because she likes to write, she likes to research,? Mahone said. ?She?s very eager to do it, almost too eager sometimes.?
Kenyamarie said her essay not only explored the immigrant experience, but helped open her eyes to diversity in her own community.
?After I wrote the story, I noticed that so many different people live just where I live in Corte Madera and how lucky we are to be able to have different people and different cultures,? she said.
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