Olive Branch Student Wins Delta Essay Contest

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When 8th grade student Destinee Rancifer was summoned to the principal's office, her first thought was she was in trouble.

Olive Branch Middle School Principal Danny Freeze quickly assured her that this was not the case.  Instead, an unexpected honor was in store for her. She soon learned she had won an essay contest, and her family was waiting on her in the principal's office to see her receive the top prize.

The essay contest was sponsored by Mississippi State University Extension Service's Delta Futures Health Care Careers Project. Sharon A. Polk, Delta Futures Program Associate, and Margaret Cotton, Delta Futures Program Coordinator, were also waiting in the principal's office to congratulate Destinee and give her the top prize-an I-Pod, donated by Mississippi State University's Agricultural Economics Department.   

Danny Freeze, principal at Olive Branch Middle School, presents Destinee Rancifer the top prize in an essay contest, sponsored by the Delta Health Alliance.

Destinee was one of 81 camp participants selected to attend the two-day, spring 2007 Delta futures Health Care Careers camp at Camp Lake Stephens in Oxford, MS.  Each participant was given an opportunity to enter the contest by submitting an essay.   The topic was simple-write about what they had learned and liked about health care camp. There would be only one winner chosen.

"Attending Delta Futures Health Care Careers camp taught me several key concepts about the medical field," she wrote in her essay. "I have learned that the demand for health care professionals is tremendously high in the Mississippi Delta.  I also learned that it takes a caring and trustworthy person to go into the field of medicine.  When patients come to you, they trust that they are in good hands, and they trust that you will take care of them.  It will be an honor to be granted this trust."

Destinee hopes to become an orthodontist.

"She is an excellent student with excellent grades," said Principal Freeze. "I predict there will be many other awards in her future, and she will achieve any goals she sets."

First Row L-R: Destinee Rancifer(recipient), Danny Freeze (Principal), Cheryl Sacco (counselor); Back row L-R: Sharon Polk (Delta Futures Program Associate), Shena Strickland (Parent), Brother, and Margaret Cotton (Delta Futures Program Coordinator).

"Delta Futures provides a look at the many career opportunities in the field of health care," said Polk.  "Students also participate in activities that help them better understand and make better choices in their own lives.  They learn leadership training, and have a chance to make new friends, have fun and take a peek at their possible career future."

The cost of attending Delta Futures, including meals and lodging, is paid for through a grant provided by the Delta Health Alliance.  There is no charge to the selected campers that live in one of the 18 Mississippi Delta counties.  The next Delta Futures Health Care Careers camp is slated to be held in November.