Malliotakis Announces 2025 President’s Day Essay Contest
Editor’s note: We previously covered the announcement for last year’s winners of the President’s Day Essay Contest. Earlier in the year, we covered the invitation for students to submit essays for the contest.
Below are photos featuring the winners of this year’s contest, announced by Rep. Malliotakis on April 5th.
“I congratulate this year’s essay contest winners and thank all the students who participated. I was glad to welcome these talented students to my Brooklyn and Staten Island offices to hear their thoughtful ideas on how they would improve our community if they were President of the United States, addressing topics such as the economy, public safety, and the environment,” said Rep. Malliotakis.
The winners and runners up received gift cards to Barnes and Noble for their work and were invited to attend a reception with the Congresswoman to share their ideas.
The 2025 year’s winners and runner ups are:
Brooklyn:
3rd Grade:
- Ivy Chen, PS 205
4th Grade:
- Allison Zhu, Success Academy Bensonhurst
- Runner Up: Motasm Mohammad, PS 264
5th grade:
- Dominic Basile, St. Bernadette Catholic Academy
- Runner Up: Veronica Gentile, PS 185
Staten Island:
3rd Grade:
- Grace Diana, St. Charles School
- Runner Ups: Abby Koutsourvano, Our Lady Queen of Peace and Nicole Nora Sela, PS 6
4th Grade:
- Jacob Murphy, Staten Island Academy (not pictured)
- Runner Up: Vincent Geraldi IV, St. Charles School
5th Grade:
- Juliana Villani, Notre Dame Academy
- Runner Up: Hunter Holdman, Our Lady of Good Counsel
(STATEN ISLAND/BROOKLYN, NY) – Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis announced the launch of her annual President’s Day Essay Contest. This annual contest invites students in grades 3-5 who reside in or attend school in New York’s 11th Congressional District to share their ideas on how they would improve their community and country as President of the United States.
“I am pleased to announce this year’s President’s Day Essay Contest,” said Congresswoman Malliotakis. “Each year, my office receives hundreds of essays from students across Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn. This contest provides a valuable opportunity for students to learn more about our government and challenges facing our community.”
Winners will receive a certificate of recognition, a gift card to a local bookstore, and will be invited to a pizza party where they will have the opportunity to discuss their ideas with Congresswoman Malliotakis.
CONTEST DETAILS:
- Submission deadline is Friday, February 28, 2025
- The contest is open to students in grades 3-5 who reside or attend school in New York’s 11th Congressional District.
- Essays must not exceed 400 words in length.
- Submit essays by email to NY11YouthEngagement@mail.house.gov
- To be considered, essays must include the student’s first & last name, school, grade, class, along with parent or guardian’s name & contact information and the following information.
Banner Image: Presidents on Mount Rushmore. Image Credit – Ronda Darby
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis was sworn in on January 3, 2021 to represent Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn. Prior to serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 2, 2010, defeating a two-term incumbent. In the Assembly, she served as Minority Whip and the ranking minority member of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Employees. For five terms, Congresswoman Malliotakis fought to restore ethics in Albany, expand transit service in her district, improve programs for senior citizens, reform education and improve New York’s economic climate by reducing the tax burden on small businesses and residents. A cornerstone of her tenure was helping her community recover and rebuild following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In addition to advocating for these same issues in Washington, Congresswoman Malliotakis is acutely focused on securing New York’s fair share of federal mass transit funding, which would go towards expanding transportation services and easing traffic congestion, while also championing public safety by supporting our nation’s law enforcement officers. Congresswoman Malliotakis is the daughter of immigrants, her father from Greece and her mother a Cuban exile of the Castro dictatorship. She is currently the only Republican member representing New York City in Congress, representing a district spanning the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. She is a passionate advocate for animal rights and the strengthening of animal cruelty laws, and in her spare time, enjoys spending time with her chihuahua, Peanut.