OCHS Student Places 1st in 2010 Olympic Winter Games Essay Contest

During the fall semester of the 2009-2010 school year, students at Owensboro Catholic High School participated in the AT&T/JA Job Shadow Initiative, in which students “shadowed” local AT&T employees during the regular work day to see firsthand the educational background and skills these employees needed on the job.

As part of the program, students had an opportunity to participate in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Essay Contest. For the contest, students were asked to write an essay on the impact of the JA Job Shadow Program as well life lessons learned from the book, “Obstacles Welcome,” by Ralph de la Vega, which was distributed by AT&T during the Job Shadow event.

One grand prize winner and 10 first place winners were chosen nation-wide. One of the first place recipients was Mason Nofsinger, a senior student from Owensboro Catholic High School.

In his essay, Nofsinger states that, “The story of Ralph de la Vega has inspired me to go above and beyond the status quo and furthering my academic and athletic career. Now that I have participated in the Job Shadow (event) and read “Obstacles Welcome,” I am much more open to working toward a college degree.”

As a first place winner, Nofsinger received an AT&T Olympic messenger bag, Olympic blanket, Olympic t-shirt signed by Olympic figure skater and Gold Medal Winner Evan Lysacek, other AT&T items and a Junior Achievement Duffle Bag.

Photo Caption: Dan Douglas, president with Junior Achievement, presents Mason Nofsinger, a senior at Owensboro Catholic High School, with his first place award in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Essay Contest through the JA Job Shadow Program.