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2018 WINNER
Topic
What It’s Like to Be a Black Student When White Supremacists March in Your College Town
University of Virginia

 Wes Gobar, a senior at University of Virginia, wrote “What It’s Like to Be a Black Student When White Supremacists March in Your College Town” published on Vox. In his winning entry, Gobar described his experiences when white supremacists rallied at the University of Virginia in response to efforts to remove Confederate statues.

Wes is a native of Fredericksburg, Virginia. He will graduate from the University of Virginia in May 2018 with majors in Government and History. Through the Distinguished History Major Program, he has written an undergraduate history thesis on the 1887 Thibodaux Massacre. At UVA, he served as President of the Black Student Alliance, a peer advisor for incoming African American students, a member of the Cavalier Marching Band, and a member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. As BSA President, Wes was a consistent advocate for racial justice and led student efforts to respond to the terrorist events of August 11-12, 2017. Wes has published work in Vox Media, the Washington Post, and The New York Times.