St. John Vianney Junior Named Winner Of Countywide Video Contest

HOLMDEL, NJ - Four Monmouth County high school students were recently named winners of the county clerk’s 2020 elections and voting video contest, with one St. John Vianney High School student making the cut.

Natalina Leite, a junior at the private school in Holmdel, won third place for her video entry. Leite featured hand-drawn and animated slides in her video that provided an overview of the passage of both the 15th and 19th Amendments.

“It is especially important for you to vote if you are young because you are voting for your future, and possibly your future children in America. I hope you... go vote, for yourself, your future and to honor those who fought to get us here,” Leite says in her video.

The contest’s theme related to the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which granted women the right to vote and the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment which granted African American men the right to vote. All high school students in Monmouth County were invited to enter by forming groups of no more than three to create a video that highlighted the importance of the aforementioned milestones.

Tienne Yu, a junior at Biotechnology High School in Freehold, won the top spot for her video entry depicting the history of voting rights. Yu also demonstrated how to properly cast a mail-in ballot in the county.

“Not voting equates to silencing our own voices and suppressing the power we have been given,” Yu says in her video. “Voting is not only a right or privilege, but it is an obligation we have to our country today, our country tomorrow, and our country the many days after that.”

The second place award went to Meredith Farrington and Leighton Van Wagner, both
seniors at Trinity Hall in Tinton Falls. The duo’s submission featured a group of their friends to remind the younger generation how their votes can make a difference.

“As United States citizens, voting is the cornerstone of our Constitution…we cannot forget how lucky we are to have the right to vote, and [that] it is our civic duty to do so,” the pair say in their video.

All winning entries will be incorporated into the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office voter outreach campaigns.

“The three winning videos took different visual and historical approaches to creatively encourage young people to exercise their right to vote,” said Monmouth County Clerk Christine Hanlon. “I was extremely impressed by the students’ entries and commend them on a job well done.”

All three videos are available for viewing on the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office YouTube channel.