SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Shanya Sobhi, an 11^th grade student at Cordova High School has won the 2022 Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) General John A. Sutter Citrus Heights Chapter annual “Patriots of the American Revolution” scholastic essay contest.

Sobhi chose Alexander Hamilton for her essay, which was entitled “Hamilton’s Legacy.”

Her award was presented by Sue Frost, who served as chair of the American History Committee for the General John A. Sutter Chapter of the DAR, and member of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors at its January 17^th monthly chapter meeting in Citrus Heights.

Following the monthly chapter meeting, Sobhi learned that her winning essay also bested entrants in DAR District II, against competition from chapter entrants in Grass Valley, Vacaville, Placerville, Elk Grove, Folsom, Jackson, South Lake Tahoe, Auburn, Stockton, Folsom, and the Sacramento area. Her essay is now entered in state competition, said Dianne Poppert, John A. Sutter Citrus Heights Chapter DAR essay contest committee member.

“The next level of competition is at the state level, as our District essay winners are automatically entered into the next level of competition,” Poppert said.

Members of her family including her father Hassan, brother Bahand, sister Sata and mom, LeeLav were on hand as Shanya read her winning essay to chapter members and invited guests.

“I found Alexander Hamilton a very fascinating figure,” Sobhi said.

Though he never attained the highest office of his adopted country, few of America’s founders influenced its political system more than Alexander Hamilton. He was a member of the Continental Congress, an author of the Federalist Papers, a champion of the Constitution and the first secretary of the Treasury.

“His way of speech and elegant mannerism made him a force to be reckoned with, especially in catalyzing the development of the American Revolution when so many doubted the nation and its leaders,” Sobhi wrote in her essay.

Hamilton’s two lasting achievements included the writing of 85 of the Federalist papers under the pseudonym “Publius” and the importance of his overall legacy as the new nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury.

Historians recognize Hamilton as a leading figure in creating the United States’ financial system which helped establish the U.S. dollar, the U.S. Mint, and the nation’s first national bank.

Through his proposal to create a national bank, to be known as the Bank of the United States, Hamilton helped established the credit system which is still used by millions of Americans today.

“All U.S. government securities found in today’s financial markets on Wall Street have Hamilton’s handprints on them,” she said. “His vision of Hamilton stretches across decades in American history.”

The high school DAR essay contest invites high school students in grades 9-12 to submit an essay between 800 and 1,200 words, selecting a figure from the era of the American Revolution and discuss how he or she influenced the course of the American Revolution and what their contribution was to the founding of a new nation.

The eventual winner of the national Patriots of the American Revolution contest is invited to Washington, D.C. to the national society of the Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters at its annual conference to be honored.