Opening Comments and Text of Charlie Rustigian's Essay

Good morning.

My name is Charlie Rustigian. I am in the 6th Grade at the Eugene Wright Science and Technology Academy, a middle school in Chelsea.

I want to thank my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Babish, who motivated me to pick up my writing pen and say what I was feeling about changing the world. I also want to thank our Principal, Mr. O'Brien, for creating a terrific learning environment at the Wright Academy. And, I thank the Chelsea School District for selecting my essay to represent our middle schools.

I want to thank you for inviting me to share in the celebration of Dr. King's life and dream. And, thank you for letting me read my essay.

I love to write because it is fun and I can express myself. I enjoy talking about how I feel or what I hope for. I wrote this essay on how a child can make a difference in the world and make our world a better place. This essay describes my dream of how we can make a better world.

CAN ONE CHILD MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

We all have it in us to change the world and make it a better place. I can change the world - one person at a time - by displaying respect, support, and kindness to all those around me. By doing so, everyone will follow my example and treat each other better. The key to making a better world can start with children because WE are the leaders of tomorrow. Both adults and children need to have an open mind through everyday life. It is important for us to communicate with and understand people from ALL cultures and backgrounds, in order to establish trust and respect. Once we trust and respect each other, we receive respect back. This makes it easier to focus on all we have in common instead of the differences.

Dr. King had a vision, and he spent his life spreading and explaining that vision. His vision was simple - to have all people work together to make a better America. That vision was that EVERY person was to be treated equal and respected as a human being. Dr. King was able to significantly change the United States by spreading his message peacefully and having people live side by side with respect.

Over the summer, I read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry which is a story with made-up characters that takes place during the Nazi occupation of Denmark. To prepare for writing this historical fiction, Ms. Lowry researched the Nazi occupation of Denmark and the Danish Resistance. She found that most of the Danish Résistance were very young people. And, one goal of the Résistance was to save the Danish Jews from the Nazis. Ms. Lowry based her fictional character of the young Danish Résistance member Peter Neilsen on a real life Résistance member, a young man named Kim Malthe-Brunn.

The real-life résistance fighter, Kim Brunn, was captured and executed by the Nazis. In the letter that Kim Brunn sent to his family the night before the Nazis executed him, he called for dreams of creating "an ideal of human decency, and not a narrow-minded and prejudiced one." About 70 years later, the children of the world still have the same dream - creating a world based on kindness, human respect and dignity.

The dream shared by Kim Brunn during the Nazi occupation of Denmark was the same dream shared by Dr. King in the United States - one of respect, equality and human dignity for all men and women. I have shared a dream and will continue to express that dream throughout my life.

Video of Charlie Rustigian Delivering his Essay

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