The College Woman’s Club of Westfield is pleased to announce Westfield resident Natalie Fitzgerald as the winner of our sophomore essay contest entitled “A Letter to My Younger Self.”  We asked sophomore students to reflect on their ‘younger’ self and to examine their successes and failures. The contest requested they include important messages they might wish to tell their younger self.

The committee members were impressed with Natalie’s essay structure and her thoughtful letter to her younger self.  In her essay, she told us “Make sure to be the friend that you want to have. Finding friends that you can count on and trust is an important part of growing up”.  Natalie also reflected on other issues of our day, including devoting time time to family, social media and the notion of accepting change.  The committee admired her maturity and ability to articulate profoundly challenging experiences that young women face.

Natalie was the recipient of a $100 Amazon gift card.  Our members were touched by the essays submitted by the young women.  We wish them all good luck in their remaining HS years.

Through the years, the College Woman’s Club of Westfield has played a singular role in the intellectual, cultural and civic life of Westfield.  We have awarded more than 500 scholarships to Westfield women.  Since 1995, we’ve awarded more than $1M in scholarships.