A Richmond student's down-to-earth essay inspired by an out of this world experience has earned a national prize from cable channel A&E. Ahmad Ali Jaffer, a Grade 8 student at Hugh McRoberts secondary, took first prize in the Grade 5 to 8 category of the A&E Lives That Make a Difference Essay Contest.
Titled An "Out-of-this-World" Canadian, it focuses on Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. For his efforts, Ahmad will receive $2,000 and his teacher, Petra Mach, will receive $1,000 for use in her classroom.
In his essay, Ahmad examines Hadfield's recent space mission, exploring the "downto-earth" style the commander of the International Space Station exhibited, and the profound impact he had on Canadian youth.
Discussing a duet Hadfield performed in space, Ahmad wrote, "The song reflects that despite our world being so diverse, with different people and borders, from space these borders disappear. Together, we all live harmoniously on the same planet."
