Hawai'i History Day
Another module, another research paper…
Middle school was a notably tumultuous chapter in my academic career, particularly made more memorable by the enduring friends I made, the unruly groups of students in classes, weekly shenanigans at the courtyard, and the high volume of fights that took place just outside the walls of campus. Amid the thrilling chaos that each day posed, I had come to expect a routine for all six of my classes. Standard expectations for much of the school day had already been established.
Nothing came as a surprise. While our instructors would teach class material, others listened. Some didn’t. We would be assigned to work in small breakout groups to discuss what we learned, complete in-class exercises, homework would be passed out, and the day would end. This was the daily schedule. Since I was accustomed to this, it wasn’t a major issue to learn that my social studies teacher had assigned our class… another research paper.
She informed us that our work would be for National History Day, an education organization devoted to improving the teaching and learning of history. Its flagship event is an annual competition for students in grades 6-12 to develop research about topics in history that interest them which follow a particular concept for that year. In 2017, the theme was: Taking a Stand in History.
Note: Hawai’i History Day is an affiliate of National History Day. It is an annually recurring competition with fairs being held in different districts and schools throughout the state. Winners of the Hawai’i District Fair would advance to Nationals stage for an opportunity to claim special cash prizes and scholarships.
Given her instructions and guidance, I began to work on choosing a topic. I was intrigued, but more so confounded on the issue of what I should write about. This idea eventually reached me one morning while watching a show’s episode during breakfast.
Cue One Piece.
The story follows Luffy, a young pirate and his crew as they try to find the One Piece - a vast treasure left behind by the Pirate King, Gold Roger. While on the high seas, the story delves into multiple instances of government oppression and historical lore of past atrocities as the protagonists visit an array of unique islands.
While catching up to the enormous library of episodes for the anime, one scene stuck out to me. I realized that the message embedded was particularly compelling as it was relevant to the theme for our research. The narration and dialogue from the episode stood out: “if you hurt somebody or if somebody hurts you, the same red blood will be shed.”
I began looking into past influential figures that fought for equality and freedom with their abilities of speech. Ultimately, I decided to tackle the poignant conflicts surrounding slavery during the 19th century, and with that unraveled a string of research into leaders against oppression during this time. Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, and Lucretia Mott were among the potential choices for my paper.
In the end, I chose to write about Frederick Douglass. His life was a symbolic representation of the oppressed - later becoming the leading voice of the Abolitionist Movement during the late 19th century. After several weeks of work into research and writing, I turned in my submission without any further thought.
An unexpected surprise!
One school morning, I was unexpectedly notified by my social studies teacher that she had enjoyed my paper and submitted it as an entry to our school’s History Day competition. She alarmingly told me that my paper had been chosen as the winning submission in the school contest within the research paper category.
Subsequently, with additional guidance to revise parts of my essay, I attended the Leeward District Fair a few months later. There, I was fortunate enough to win once again which gave me the opportunity to move on to compete in the State Fair. Although I lost in this stage and wasn’t able to advance to the Nationals, the experience as a whole was memorable and exhilarating.
As a result, I encountered different hurdles and acquired knowledge with how to approach a task with increasing levels of difficulty. In the end, I was awarded the Hawai’i Nikkei Historical Editorial Board, particularly for my extensive research work provided in the annotated bibliography section of my paper. Research into Douglass and his life, as well as the competition taught me the importance of dedication and personal reflection during each stage of a process. Although I wanted to win at all stages, the experiences I had were just as invaluable as winning the entire thing.
Here is a link to my state fair submission.