MA Students Asked To Submit Essays For Governor's Contest

BOSTON, MA — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kimberley Driscoll invited students from across the state Wednesday to submit entries for a portrait essay contest. Healey and Driscoll were sworn into office last week.

The newly elected officials are asking Massachusetts students to research and suggest a former governor who inspires them and should be featured in their offices. It’s a tradition that each new governor and lieutenant governor select a portrait of a former Massachusetts governor to hang in their offices at the State House, according to a statement.

The essay contest winners will be invited to the State House to meet with Healey and Driscoll for the unveiling of their chosen portraits.

See related: MA Gov. Maura Healey Takes Office: Top Issues In First Term

“The State House is the people’s house, and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll and I want our future leaders to have a voice in the symbols and messages we choose to highlight,” Healey said in a statement. “This is an exciting opportunity for Massachusetts students to learn more about our state’s history and determine for themselves what makes a great leader. We can’t wait to review the submissions.”

The contest is open to all Massachusetts students. Essays should be less than 600 words and should answer this question: Which former Massachusetts governor inspires you the most, and why should their portrait hang in the governor or lieutenant governor’s office? Students should also include at least one to two sentences about how they researched their chosen governor.

“Governor Healey and I will be looking at these portraits every day while we are making important decisions that impact the lives of all Massachusetts residents,” Driscoll said in a statement. “Each time we see the portraits, we’ll be reminded of the lessons we learned from these student essays. We hope that all students will participate in this unique opportunity to shape our state’s future.”

Essays are due Jan. 27, at 11:59 p.m. Additional details and submission instructions can be found here.