Bedford Middle School 7th Grade Student Wins Essay Contest

WESTPORT, CT — Bedford Middle School 7th grader Sofia Alarcon-Frias was named the Middle School Division Grand Prize winner in the 2019 Altice USAHispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest, the school announced. Her victory was celebrated at the school on Dec. 13.

Sofia's winning essay, "An Unstoppable Dreamer," is a celebration of the life of Edith Straheli, Sofia's grandmother, who endured arrest, incarceration, and deportation in Argentina for educating the poor in her area.

During the ceremony, which was attended by Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe, Bedford Principal Adam Rosen, BMS language arts teacher Paul Ferrante, and Sofia's parents, Natalia and Claudio, she read an excerpt from her essay and was awarded a grand prize scholarship check for $1,500 by Allison Aylward, Community Affairs Manager for Altice USA.