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REALTOR®: Palo Alto youth are winners in Realtors’ essay contest

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Two Palo Alto seventh graders, both from Terman Middle School, were the top winners in the intermediate category of an essay contest sponsored in part by the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR). Emma Marriott's essay won first prize and Karen Camacho's essay received second prize.

This is the second year SILVAR has sponsored the "What is your American Dream?" HomeWords™ Essay Contest in partnership with the California Association of Realtors and the San Jose Mercury News, as part of the 2007 HomeWords™ program. The teachers of prize winners also receive cash awards.

SILVAR selects a total of six winners – three at the high school level and three at the intermediate (seventh and eighth grade) level. In the high school category, Seva Ivanov, a ninth grader at Fremont High School, received $500 for placing first; his teacher, Alysa Clark, received $150. As the second place winner, Kathy Li received $300; her teacher, Sharon Smith, received $100. Angelica Godinez, a senior at Fremont High School, received $150; her teacher, Sonia Dass, received $100.

In the intermediate category, Emma Marriott, the first prize winner, received $450 and Karen Camacho, second prize winner, received $250. Their teacher, Tracey Berliner, received $250. The third prize of $150 went to Rebecca Moll of Cupertino Middle School; her teacher, Grace Hynes received $100.

In her essay entitled "The American Dream," Marriott writes about longing for a home, where she and her family could finally settle down.

"Having moved so many times can be exciting, but every time I leave, I leave a part of myself behind," Marriott writes. She remains optimistic that her dream will come true someday and her family will no longer have to move again. Her dream is to have a "place where memories grow and dreams come true. Where friends and family gather to enjoy themselves. Which stays strong and sturdy and gives us comfort, even when we are disconsolate.  …. No matter how many times we fail, we will keep trying and I know that one day, we will succeed."

Camacho's essay, entitled "My American Dream," describes how her parents came to the United States from Mexico to seek a better life.

Camacho writes, "My goal for when I grow up is to own a comfortable house, and buy my parents their own large home too. That is why I am going to work hard when I grow up to reach my largest goal, better called, my American Dream." Camacho writes that she sees her neighbors come and go when they finally achieve their goal to live in a house. She hears her parents plan and think of options.

Like Marriott, Camacho is optimistic and notes, "I have learned that getting the house we want will be hard, but we still dream of someday for things to get better.  … Many people come to America with nothing, but desire to live better, and they're wiling to work hard to get what they want. There are better opportunities here in the United States to get jobs and to go to better schools. Owning a home in America can be a dream that will someday come true."

Recognizing the winners, their teachers and the annual essay contest, SILVAR Interim Executive Officer and Government Affairs Director Paul Cardus said, "SILVAR's HomeWords™  Essay Contest underscores our commitment and support for education, as well as our appreciation for the tremendous work our students and teachers do. As we all know, it's not the bricks and mortars that make the schools; it's the teachers that make it. The contest is just a small part of our commitment and support for education. What makes our districts special is the quality of the schools which people look for when purchasing a home."

"The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® has really stepped up to the plate to support our local schools," said Sandy Marine, Mercury News in Education Manager. "What you have done is wonderful and we couldn't have done this without you. Thank you for supporting the endeavor and we hope we can do it again."

HomeWords ™ is a newspaper-based educational program created by the Los Angeles Times and sponsored by the California Association of Realtors and Fannie Mae. The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® is a HomeWords ™ regional sponsor. This sponsorship provides classroom sets of newspapers once a week for several weeks to participating teachers and students to use in their lessons.



The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.

For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.

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