Congratulations to Danial (S5), who has celebrated a significant achievement after being awarded runner-up in prestigious EDI Essay Competition.
The London School of Economics (LSE) Department of International History’s EDI Essay Competition provides students with an opportunity to develop their historical research and writing through an extended essay, making Danial’s recognition a notable accomplishment.
As part of the award, Danial was invited to a special British Library Study Day in London, bringing together the competition winner, runners-up and honourable mentions to celebrate their achievements, share their work and formally receive their prizes.
On receiving his award, Danial was told;
“You should be especially proud of this achievement because this year’s edition was our most competitive ever. In a crowded field, your outstanding essay stood out to our panel of judges.”
Danial also received personalised feedback from an LSE lecturer on his submission, providing valuable recognition and guidance to support his future university and career ambitions.
Following his trip to London, we spoke with Danial about his exciting achievement.
What inspired you to enter the EDI Essay Competition?
“Earlier in the year, I told Mrs Stewart that I was looking for essay competitions to enter, and she sent me an email about this one. When I first saw it, I realised it was an A-level competition and that I was a year too young for it, so I remember thinking that I really wished I could enter. Luckily, I was allowed to apply after asking specifically, which I was really excited about as it was connected to LSE, which is a university I really like and find very interesting. Looking back, becoming a runner-up against students who were studying A-level History and were a year older than me makes the achievement feel even more special.”
What approach did you take to the essay question? What research did you do, and was there anything you found particularly interesting or inspiring while working on it?
“For the question: ” As the United States marks 250 years, has it fulfilled its promise of equality?” Answer with reference to ONE of the following themes: disability, gender, race.
When I saw the three options, I wanted to choose something that I felt wasn’t talked about as much. Race was obviously a very important option, particularly because of the Civil Rights Movement, and gender has had its attention through its respective movements, but disability was something I hadn’t really thought about in the context of American history. That made me want to explore it because I was interested in learning about something I knew very little about, so I read articles, books and other sources, including research from Harvard Kennedy School, and the more I looked into it, the more surprised I was by how often disability had been overlooked throughout American history. I also found it particularly interesting that society and institutions had often been built around the assumption that everyone was able-bodied. What inspired me most was seeing how disability rights campaigners continued to push for change despite not always receiving the same attention as other movements. Their persistence eventually helped lead to the Americans with Disabilities Act being passed in 1990, which showed me how much can be achieved through sustained campaigning.”
How was your trip to London? What did you get up to during the visit, and what was your favourite part?
“The trip to London was really enjoyable and made the whole competition feel much more real. We stayed at a nice hotel, explored the area and spent time around London before the different parts of the visit. My favourite part was definitely going to the British Library. I’ve always found history really interesting, so seeing historical sources in person rather than just reading about them was fascinating. After spending so much time researching and writing my essay, being able to see that kind of material for myself was a great way to finish the experience.”
Huge congratulations to Danial for this amazing achievement!
