VERMONT STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY CONTEST JUDGES

VERMONT STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY CONTEST JUDGES

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S757-S761] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] VERMONT STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY CONTEST JUDGES Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, since 2010, I have sponsored a State of the Union essay contest for Vermont high school students. This contest gives students in my State the opportunity to articulate what issues they would prioritize if they were President of the United States. This is the contest's 16th year, and I would like to congratulate the six volunteer judges who helped choose the contest winners and finalists. The contest relies on its committed team of judges. The judges take time to review each essay and evaluate the diversity in writing that engages students and will benefit them for years to come. The judges' willingness to participate in this project reflects their dedication to both the students and our State, and for that, I graciously thank them. The judges include: Andrew Chobanian of Oxbow High School, participant for 4 years Jason Gorczyk of Milton High School, participant for 13 years Krystal Melendez of North Country Union High School, participant for 2 years [[Page S758]] Terri Vest of Twinfield Union School & Vermont Virtual Learning Collaborative, participant for 16 years Robert Walls-Thumma of North Country Union High School, participant for 2 years Caroline Zeilenga of Randolph Technical and Career Center, participant for 2 years I am very proud to enter the State of the Union Essay Contest judges into the Congressional Record to recognize their contributions. VERMONT STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY CONTEST FINALISTS Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask to have printed in the Record some of the finalists' essays written by Vermont High School students as part of the 16th annual State of the Union Essay contest conducted by my office. The material follows: FINALISTS Piper Buczkowski, Missisquoi Valley Union High School, Junior In December of 2025, the Department of Homeland Security announced that there are more than 2.5 million illegal aliens being deported from the US. Allegedly, 1.9 million of those were self deportations. A month after this announcement of apparent success was made, a woman in Minneapolis named Renee Good, who was an American citizen, was fatally shot by an ICE officer. After this incident, ICE alleged that the officer shot her in self defense, although the video footage tells a different story. The fatality caused by Immigration and Customs Enforcement is one of the most harmful challenges America is facing today. Since Donald Trump assumed presidency in 2025, there has been a 120% increase of ICE agents. In the past year, there have been many videos circulating online platforms exposing the cruel ways ICE has been capturing individuals and even children at school. ICE does not listen to reasoning nor citizenship documents. Rumeysa Ozturk, a PHD student at Tufts University, was heading to meet up with her friends to break their fast for Ramadan and was approached by ICE agents in plain clothing and masks. They immediately took her phone from her hands, told her they were the police, then brought her to the car to be taken. The Department of Homeland Security claimed they detained her because she was supporting Hamas and because her student visa had expired. Everyone who knew her explained that she had never mentioned Hamas before. An undocumented 29 year old Guatemalan man named Juan Mendez was in the car with his wife one day and got stopped by ICE. The agents were focused on Juan calling him Antonio. The couple assumed it was a case of mistaken identity and called their attorney and were advised to stay in the car. They refused to unlock the doors and explained to the agents that they are waiting for their attorney to arrive. ICE then proceeded to smash the back car window without waiting another minute. They captured Juan Mendez and locked him up in a detention center. Juan was in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen when he was taken. These are just three incidents that represent acts of violence happening all over the country. It doesn't matter what they say to ICE agents after they get pulled over, even if you show them your identification and citizenship documents, they will still detain you. My solution to this issue is to properly train ICE agents and hold them accountable for their actions. They should not have the power to shoot people, break into cars, or be out of uniform. Every ICE agent will have to show their identification and a warrant. This bill will be called the Renee Good Bill to get justice for her and every other human being that has had their life ruined, threatened, or taken. We, the people, cannot stay silent anymore. America must be reminded that aggressiveness should be the very last option, not the first. Alice Buhendwa, Winooski High School, Junior Hunger is a big problem in the United States, especially for single mothers and their children. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, single parent families are more likely to not have enough food. Many single moms work very hard, but still do not have enough money to buy food. Taking care of kids alone while paying for rent, bills, and groceries is very stressful. No family should have to worry about not having enough food. Until the government protects food help programs and gives more support to single mothers, many families will keep struggling with hunger. Food is a basic need, and the government should make sure families can afford it. When help is not strong or steady, single moms and their children suffer the most. There is clear proof that hunger is a real problem for single mothers. The U.S. The Department of Agriculture says that single parent families are more likely to not have enough food than two parent families, showing that single moms struggle more with hunger. In addition, research from feeding Americans (urban) shows that millions of children living in single parent households do not always have enough food, and single moms are often the ones trying to feed their kids with little hello. Programs like SNAP help families buy groceries, but these programs are sometimes put at risk. During government shutdowns, SNAP benefits were in danger for millions of people. Reports said that about 42 million Americans could lose food help during a shutdown. When this happens, families have to rely on food banks, which often do not have enough food. To fix this problem, the government must take clear steps. First, food programs like SNAP and WIC should always be fully funded and protected, even during political fights. Research from the Urban institute shows that cuts to SNAP could cause almost 3 million young adults to lose food help, which shows how harmful these cuts can be. I propose a new law that would mandate that SNAP and WIC remain open even if the government shuts down. Second, the government should make sure benefits are never delayed, so families can buy food on time. When SNAP is delayed or cut, families are forced to depend on food, which often do not have enough food. Third, the government should increase support for single mothers by raising benefits amounts and making it easier to qualify for help. The Urban institute found that higher SNAP benefits helped millions of people stay out of poverty which proves that strong food programs work. These actions would help make sure children do not go hungry. Hunger should not happen in a rich country like the United States. If the government does its job and protects food help programs, single moms and their children can live healthier and safer lives. Making sure families have food is not a choice, it is a responsibility. Liam Dickerson, Green Mountain Valley School, Junior Since its inception, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) has become an integral part of our daily lives-over one billion people on earth claim to use it each month. Examples of use may range from creating images to asking questions about the moon. It helps to exceed our basic use of Google search. It can create music and solve some of the world's hardest problems. But at what cost? While there are so many possibilities with AI, there is one major drawback-A.I. is having a much more negative impact on Climate change than we ever could have imagined. In the past year alone, A.I. has consumed six times more water than Denmark, a country with more than 6 million people. This intense use of water directly correlates to the usage of A.I. In 2025, more than 50% of the global population uses A.I. As a result, large data centers are being built to house the computer systems required by AI. Because of this, A.I. needs water to cool these computing centers. Along with water consumption, A.I. also uses a vast amount of electricity. One request made through ChatGPT uses as much as ten times as much electricity as a Google search. The mass consumption of electricity has been a recurring trend within the last 3-5 years. According to MIT News, the power requirements of data centers in North America more than doubled within a year, from 2,668 megawatts consumed in 2022 to 5,341 megawatts in 2023. Even when looking into the future, the outlook looks grim. The estimated electricity consumption of data centers is forecasted to reach 1,050 terawatt hours by 2026. This puts the AI data centers fifth in the world for energy consumption. But whose responsibility is it to manage these unfolding burdens? Are there other things we should be doing? Some companies are implementing climate-aware methods to combat the intense impact that A.I. has. Microsoft, for example, aims to reduce its water consumption and carbon footprint. By 2050, Microsoft claims that it will remove its historical emissions since its founding in 1975. It also aims to replenish more water than it has consumed by 2030.