Let Grow awards $14,000 in scholarships for essays on independence

Let Grow named four high school seniors as winners of its national Think for Yourself scholarship contest, handing out $14,000 for essays about courage, critical thinking and independence. The contest drew more than 4,000 entries and added a new prompt about using AI before realizing students had to think for themselves.

Why it matters: - Let Grow’s contest rewards students for independence of thought, not just academic achievement. - The scholarships can help pay for four-year colleges, community colleges or trade schools. - The contest also reflects a broader student question: when to use outside help, and when to trust personal judgment.

What happened: - Let Grow announced the winners of its national Think for Yourself high school essay contest. - Four high school seniors received $14,000 in scholarships on Aug. 24, 2026. - Ricardo Martinez of Pico Rivera, California, won first prize and an $8,000 scholarship. - Martinez plans to use the award at the University of Southern California. - Three runner-up winners each received $2,000. - Ryan Gomez of Elmwood Park, Illinois, was one runner-up. - Emma Penton of Auburn, Alabama, was one runner-up. - Madelyn Bellissimo of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, was one runner-up. - The contest drew more than 4,000 entries this year.

The details: - Martinez wrote about an Eagle Scout project that went sideways when wood was cut wrong, holes were too shallow and volunteers were stuck waiting for tools. - Martinez’s essay focused on stepping up in the middle of confusion and solving problems without perfect conditions. - Let Grow’s Think for Yourself contest has awarded more than $70,000 in scholarships since 2018. - The contest is open to U.S. high school seniors. - Winning essays have been published in outlets including USA Today, The New York Post and The San Francisco Chronicle. - Contest prompts ask students to write about changing their mind, doing something important alone, or staying quiet when a view might be unpopular. - This year’s contest added a prompt asking students to write about an issue they consulted AI on before realizing they had to think for themselves. - Gomez wrote about learning math independently in middle school, then leaning on AI in junior-year calculus until a quiz showed he had lost some of that skill. - Penton wrote about regretting silence when softball teammates gossiped about an absent girl and later concluding that standing up for someone does not always require a confrontation. - Bellissimo wrote about her father going into anaphylaxis from a hornet sting and her having to keep him alive for 23 minutes until the ambulance arrived.

Between the lines: - Let Grow is using the contest to reinforce its broader message that kids benefit from real-world independence and from making decisions on their own. - Co-founder Lenore Skenazy said the nonprofit aims to make it easy, normal and legal to trust kids with some independence. - Skenazy also said independence in daily life and independence of thought go together. - The contest’s AI prompt shows how the group is adapting its messaging to a new pressure point for students. - The essays suggest the judges were looking for examples of growth under stress, not polished success stories.

What's next: - Winning essays may continue to be published in major newspapers. - Future contests are likely to keep pushing students to reflect on independence, judgment and the role of AI in schoolwork. - Let Grow will keep promoting the idea that children build confidence by handling more on their own.

The bottom line: - Let Grow is turning student essays into a scholarship contest with a clear message: confidence grows when young people are trusted to think, decide and act for themselves.