Saint Thomas Academy Senior Wins Essay Contest, Paid Internship

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN— A senior at Saint Thomas Academy has won the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis 33nd Annual High School Essay Contest.

Along with winning the contest, Jordan Young of Inver Grove Heights will receive $500 and a paid summer internship at the Federal Reserve Bank, the school said.

Each year, the essay contest challenges high school students to study key economic issues, the school said. This year's essay question was "What, if anything, should the federal government do to alleviate the persistent economic disparities faced by African-Americans?," the school said. Young answered that the best solution was for the government to use a policy initiative that would use micro-loans for low-income communities, the school said.

Young's essay beat hundreds of others submitted by students in the 9th Federal Reserve district, the school said.

Each year, Saint Thomas Academy economics teacher Dean Simmons includes the essay assignment in his AP economics class, and Young is the fourth of Simmons' students to win the contest, the school said.