Quotations from Essay Contest Winners

"Optimism is…looking ahead to the path its brilliance illuminates."

"I remained optimistic, not because the situation was easy, but because I know that as long as we supported each other, we could heal."

"Optimism became my anchor. I have learned to hold onto hope and never lose faith in the possibility of change."

"What is optimism, if not a tremendously risky undertaking?"

"Looking through a lens of positivity open up a situation to more possible solutions."

"Optimism is the fire that burns bright and warm, illuminating the way, shielding us from the cold we travel through."

"I have reawakened the vivid hues of life, rediscovering that the vibrant essence of existence is not merely in the colors we yearn for but within the depth of the passions we embrace."

"(We) cannot be caged when we sing out in pride of all we have surpassed to reach that bright optimism promised us all along."