NeW is excited to announce the winner of the College Category of the 2025 Essay Contest, Anna Meverden, a student at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Congratulations, Anna!
Read her winning piece in the Washington Examiner here!
How did you hear about the 2025 NeW Essay Contest and why did you choose to participate in it?
I discovered the 2025 NeW Essay Contest through the scholarship hub, “FastWeb.” While I clicked on the link not knowing about NeW, I was happy to learn about this great conservative organization that supports women in college. I have not seen other scholarship programs specifically for young women with conservative values. Plus, the essay prompt was on a topic that’s very relevant to the world I live in, especially on my college campus.
What was your favorite part about writing this essay?
Most scholarships I have applied to have asked standard questions about my major, my life goals, etc. This essay contest was different! Instead of simply talking about myself, I enjoyed sharing my opinion on something important to me and expressing why it should matter to others. It felt like exercising some ‘political muscles’ on paper. Also, I was grateful to write freely without fear of being disqualified because of my convictions.
Why is NeW important?
NeW provides an outlet for young women to do the very thing I did with this essay–learn, think, and express ideas fearlessly, with a network of other women who hold similar values. NeW educates, equips, and empowers young women to challenge negative and hopeless liberal narratives by embracing values like liberty, opportunity, independent thought, and other conservative ideals. I am very grateful to be a small part of such an organization.
