An upcoming writing competition will give a specific group pof local young people an opportunity to express their views on an all-important facet of the business community: healthcare.

A recent Mining Journal story on the matter had details.

High school seniors who reside in the Upper Peninsula and plan to pursue studies in a health care-related field at a college or university next fall are invited to participate in the fourth annual National Rural Health Day Essay Contest.

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health is coordinating the contest with the Michigan Center for Rural Health and the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan. The essay submission deadline is next Wednesday, that’s Oct. 25, the Journal story detailed.

Students’ essays should be 500 words minimum or 1,000 words maximum. The essay question is, “If you could advocate for one change in the healthcare industry, what would it be and why?”

“We are hopeful that more high school seniors pursuing higher education in a healthcare-related field will enter this year’s contest,” Elise Bur, NMU Center for Rural Health director, said in a press release. “We’ve had some amazing entries in previous years, and it’s inspiring and hopeful to gain insight and perspective from our future healthcare workforce. We are also grateful that the Literacy Legacy Fund of Michigan is joining our efforts as a sponsor this year, supporting six of the nine prizes.”

Prizes will be awarded in November to the top three finishers in the three U.P. regions: Eastern, Central and Western. They are $500 for first place, $250 for second and $100 for third.

This is an exciting opportunity for this group of high school seniors to not only express themselves on a topic that touches everyone but, potentially, earn some additional money.

The guidelines and submission link can be found at https://nmu.edu/ruralhealth/essay-contest.

We hope a great many people get involved