Member Stories
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Alyssandra Jaquith
Teen Essay Contest
Last year, Gilda's Club Westchester hosted its first annual "It's Always Something" Teen Essay Contest, which was open to all teens impacted by cancer. Teens were invited to submit an essay about their cancer experience for a chance to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place prizes as well as attend an award reception.
Alyssandra Jaquith (Aly) first learned about Gilda's Club Westchester when her English teacher at Briarcliff High School encouraged her to enter the "It's Always Something" Teen Essay Contest. Aly's mother died from lung cancer about a year and half before she heard about the contest.
When Aly was presented with the idea of writing about her cancer experience, she decided it was not going to be about the contest, but really more of a therapeutic process. It helped her articulate some of the feelings she hadn't been able to express before. "It felt good to put words on paper," she explained.
At first Aly didn't even tell her dad or sister she was writing about her experience. She didn't want to keep it a secret, but wanted it to be her pure thoughts and original words. She chose to keep it personal because she did not want people influencing her ideas or feeling sorry for her.
"I thought of it less as a contest and figuring out all the different emotions that cancer brings out. As long as you're writing from the heart and how you feel, everybody has a story and it's different, but it will be meaningful to someone out there."
Aly won first prize for her honest and open essay. You can read her essay here, along with a description of last year's event and the third place winner's essay.
Now, Aly is happy she found GCW. "It makes me feel good to know a place like GCW exists – to know people are out there who care", explains Aly. She has an urge to tell everyone about GCW and was responsible for introducing her father to the clubhouse, who is now a member. Aly started as a volunteer last summer and is a part of the Youth Committee. She hopes to be part of GCW for a while.
Gilda's Club Westchester is hosting the "It's Always Something" Teen Essay Contest again this year. To view the current flyer and application form please click here.
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