Edmonds-Woodway High School junior Olivia Olson was honored at the Washington State Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) mid-winter convention for her entry in the VFW Voice of Democracy Audio Essay contest.

Olson’s essay, following the theme “My Responsibility to America,” was awarded third place honors at the Jan. 21 convention in Vancouver. In addition to a plaque, she also received a scholarship.

For the third consecutive year, Olson had won first place in the Voice of Democracy Essay contest for Edmonds-based VFW Post 8870. After being named winner at the Post level, Olivia won District 1 honors, which qualified her for consideration at the state level. As a middle school student, Olson was a three-time winner of the Patriot Pen written essay for the Edmonds Post.

Olson is a junior at Edmonds-Woodway High School, where she is member of the school’s varsity tennis and cross country teams and is a member of the debate club. Her passion is public speaking. She lives in Edmonds with her parents, Greg and Vivian, who are both graduates of the United States Air Force Academy.