Homeschooled Short Hills Teen Wins National JFK Essay Contest

SHORT HILLS, NJ — Jeffrey Seaman, a junior who is homeschooled in Short Hills, recently won the national John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest for High School Students, according to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

Seaman's winning essay profiles Harry T. Burn, a Republican State Representative in Tennessee who, in 1920, cast the deciding vote to ratify the 19th amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. The essay describes how 24-year-old Burn voted his conscience, resisting pressure from constituents, local political leaders and crowds of anti-suffragists who had descended on Tennessee to protest ratification.

Seaman was honored at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum last month and will receive a $10,000 scholarship award. The first-place winner will also be a guest at the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s May dinner.

Seaman’s nominating teacher, who is also his father, David Seaman, will receive a John F. Kennedy Public Service Grant in the amount of $500 to be used for school projects that encourage student leadership and civic engagement.

The essay contest is sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and supported by John Hancock.

[Click here to read the winning essay]

According to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation:

“Along with his love of history, politics and writing, Seaman’s interest in President Kennedy’s public speaking ability motivated him to enter the contest. An AP National Scholar, Seaman is developing his own public speaking skills by competing in (and winning) speech and debate tournaments sponsored by the National Christian Forensics and Communication Association. This is not the first writing contest Seaman has won; he placed first and won a grand prize in the 2017 New Voices Young Writers contest. In addition to his academic achievements, he volunteers for donation drives for a variety of organizations and has entered gardening and baking competitions for the Middlesex County Fair.”

For more information on the Profile in Courage Essay Contest for High School Students and the Profile in Courage Award, visit www.jfklibrary.org/essaycontest

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: John F. Kennedy Library Foundation

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Millburn-Short Hills Facebook page here.