Rochester student headed for national essay competition
Mayo High School junior Erin Stoeckig won the local VFW Voice of Democracy competition before going on to win at the regional and state levels. 8:00 am, Jan. 20, 2021 ×
Erin Stoeckig, a 17-year-old Mayo High School junior, won the state VFW Voice of Democracy audio-essay contest. This year’s essay topic asked the question Is This the Country the Founders Envisioned? Stoeckig is pictured Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Rochester. (Joe Ahlquist / jahlquist@postbulletin.com)
Winning the state VFW Voice of Democracy audio-essay contest has become something of a tradition for the Stoeckig family.
Mayo High School junior Erin Stoeckig remembers her dad talking about winning the contest at the state level in 1981 while he was a high schooler in Montana. This year, the 17-year-old joins her father after being named the Minnesota winner. She has the potential to surpass his achievement, though, and win the nat