Writing About My Laws of Life: Just Beyond the Shallow

Kenny Kang has participated twice in West Catholic High School’s essay

contest and has won awards for both of his

essays. In the spring of 1998 he was a first-place winner in his

freshman class, and in the spring of 1999 he won

honorable mention in his sophomore class.

It was the beginning of July, and I unexpectedly received a phone call

from the John Templeton Foundation. I was asked if I would be willing to

write about my experiences related to

participating in the Laws of Life Essay Contest for an upcoming

newsletter. As I was agreeing to their request, I could already envision

the remainder of my summer being spent in the subtle

glare of my word processor. However, at the time I did not realize that

this piece would unexpectedly be the highlight of my summer.

Even before hanging up, I was already pondering what to write. Should I

mention how the contest enabled me to grasp the considerable influence

of family upon my life? Or would I describe the various aspects of the contest that made it truly great