January 16, 2026
Please join us in congratulating Gilbert High School freshman Ada McKilligan, who has been chosen as the winner of the 6th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest, which is organized by the Ames-Story County MLK Day Celebration Committee and the Rotary Club of Ames.
Ada’s essay is entitled, “A Generation of Hope,” and an excerpt from it can be found below.
All Ames and Story County high school students were encouraged to participate in the contest, and the contest topic was: How has Dr. King, Jr.’s advocacy impacted your life, which helps motivate and inspire you to continue his legacy?
Ada will receive a $500 gift card and will have the opportunity to read the essay on Monday at the 2026 Ames/Story County Community Celebration at Ames City Auditorium.
Ada, your writing is immaculate and we could not be any more proud of you for your initiative and your drive. Way to go!
Essay Excerpt (the final paragraph)
The dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. was not an endpoint, but a mere beginning of the path we still must walk. We owe a debt not just to him, but to all of those who fought for their -and our- freedom, that can only be repaid by following in their footsteps. By allowing the lessons of his protests, his speeches, and his very life to fade from our curriculum and therefore our consciousness, we risk more than historical blind spots. We risk complacency, allowing the past to become our future. Let us choose to be the generation that moves forward, fights for its values, keeps its dream alive through our actions, and speaks its truth. After all, to speak with truth is to speak with freedom, and these words you have read are the freest.
