When GFA alum Delilah Johnson was named Connecticut's winner of the 2026 Congressional Essay Contest, the recognition celebrated more than a well-written essay. It reflected years of conversations, curiosity, and learning that came together in a single piece of writing.
Created in celebration of America's 250th anniversary, the national competition challenged students to respond to a timely prompt: Which principles in the Declaration of Independence have done the most to lift the human condition, and how have they helped our country meet evolving challenges over the past 249 years? Delilah's essay explored the enduring importance of rights and democracy, earning her the opportunity to represent Connecticut at the Congressional Seminar in Washington, D.C., where students from across the country gathered to explore leadership, public service, and civic engagement.
While the recognition was extraordinary, the story behind the essay began much earlier.
In recent years, GFA's Upper School History Department has expanded beyond a curriculum centered primarily on Advanced Placement courses, creating space for electives that invite students to engage more deeply with contemporary issues through a historical lens. For Delilah, that experience took shape in Government, Civil Discourse, and American Society, taught by Allie Stein.
Throughout the semester, students examined current events, wrestled with complex questions, and practiced respectful dialogue across differing viewpoints. As Stein shared during a school assembly, "Democracy survives not on the pages of textbooks, but in conversations." To conclude the course, students reflected on what the ideals of the Declaration of Independence mean today, and Stein submitted every essay to the Congressional Essay Contest.
For Delilah, the assignment brought together ideas she had been developing for years. She grew up around a dinner table where current events were discussed openly, and disagreement was welcomed as an opportunity to better understand another perspective. Those conversations found a natural home in Stein's classroom, where students were encouraged to engage thoughtfully with one another and wrestle with ideas that rarely have simple answers.
At the same time, another GFA classroom was shaping the way Delilah approached writing. In Advanced Inquiry, English teacher Kevin Coll challenged students to view writing as a process of discovery rather than simply a way to present conclusions. "Writing became an avenue not only for answering questions but for asking them simultaneously," Delilah reflected.
Together, those perspectives proved especially valuable when she encountered the Congressional Essay prompt. Although she admitted she had "never been a particularly confident history student," she approached the assignment with the curiosity she had developed as a writer—asking questions, researching widely, and allowing her thinking to evolve throughout the process. She ultimately centered her essay on the principles of democracy and rights, drawing together historical research, contemporary issues, and years of thoughtful conversation.
Speaking to her classmates after receiving the award, Delilah reflected not only on the honor itself, but on the opportunity to continue learning alongside students from across the country at the Congressional Seminar in Washington. She looked forward to listening to new perspectives, asking thoughtful questions, and continuing to develop the voice she had spent years finding.
Her remarks also captured something larger about her experience at GFA. Across history and English classrooms alike, she had been encouraged to approach ideas with curiosity, engage thoughtfully with differing perspectives, and see writing as a way of refining her thinking. She concluded with a reminder to her peers: "Never underestimate the power of your words. Never stop asking questions, and never stop writing."