Waltham Middle-Schooler Wins Visit to Pope Francis Address

Photos: Office of Rep. Katherine Clark

A Waltham seventh grader beat out dozens of essays to win a spot to accompany Congresswoman Katherine Clark to Pope Francis’s address to a joint meeting of Congress on Sept. 24.

Rep. Clark, District 5 representative, joined the seventh grade class at John McDevitt Middle School on Wednesday to announce that Dylan Lopez won her district-wide essay contest.

Lopez submitted an essay in August that captured his parents’ story and journey to the United States from Argentina, said the announcement. Dylan describes his personal admiration for the Pope’s advocacy on behalf of immigrants and hopes to emulate his work someday.

In his essay the Waltham student wrote, “My dream is to help Hispanic immigrants who are discriminated against on a daily basis, which hurts my soul.”

“We received dozens of compelling submissions from all over the district, but one stood out among the rest,” said Congresswoman Clark in a statement. “Dylan’s story represents the basic American promise. You can come to this country with the dream of a better life for your children and grandchildren. You can work hard and provide for your family, so your children can go to a good school, study hard, and achieve anything they set their minds to.”

Celebrating the occasion with the Lopez family were school and city officials including Mayor McCarthy, Superintendent Echelson, Principal Sabin, Representative Stanley, Councilor Fowler, School Committee Members Frassica, Donnelly, Dawcett and Rando.

Dylan and his father will travel to Washington, DC, on the week of the Sept. 21.