STATE OF CONNECTICUT
NANCY WYMAN COMPTROLLER	OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER 55 ELM STREET HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106-1775	MARK OJAKIAN DEPUTY COMPTROLLER

State Comptroller Nancy Wyman today announced the results of her annual Black History Essay Contest. This annual event is open to high school juniors and seeks to explore facts about black history that are not well known. It is sponsored by the Office of the State Comptroller and with the support of Fleet Bank and People's Bank.

"It gives me great pleasure to recognize these talented young people," Wyman said. "I am reminded of the words of James Baldwin: "You think your pains and heartbreaks are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read."

• First place recognition is given to Stephanie Lawrence of Hartford. Ms. Lawrence's essay about Cathay Williams a female buffalo soldier who disguised herself as a man to join the 38th U.S. Infantry during the Civil War. Ms. Lawrence is awarded a $500 U.S. Savings Bond.



• Second place is awarded to Jodi Alberti of New London. Jodi's essay focused on the invention of modern ice cream by Sambo Jackson. Jodi is awarded a $200 U.S. Savings Bond.



• Third place goes to Jennifer Mejia of Stamford. Ms. Mejia wrote about Dr. Aubre Maynard, the first black chief surgeon who also operated on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King after Dr. King was stabbed in 1958. She is awarded a $100 U.S. Savings Bond.



• Fourth place is awarded to Ashley Coleman of Hartford. Ms. Coleman focused on the life of Edith Spurlock Sampson - a Chicago lawyer and judge of the 1930s and 40s. She is awarded a $75 U.S. Savings Bond.



• Fifth place recognition goes to Shaun Christopher Levy of Hartford. Mr. Levy shared his insights into the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and racism in medicine. He is awarded a $50 U.S. Savings Bond.

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