Major League Baseball and Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, have selected Asma Kaukab from Valley Stream, N.Y. (Grade 5) and Eliza Smith from Surgoinsville, Tenn. (Grade 8) as Grand Prize winners of the 2019 Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life essay contest. The essay contest is the culminating component of the Breaking Barriers educational program, which is led by Major League Baseball, Scholastic, and Sharon Robinson – founder of the Breaking Barriers program and daughter of Hall of Famer and Baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson. The Breaking Barriers essay contest encourages students from across the country to write about overcoming personal obstacles, or barriers, through the example of values set forth by Jackie Robinson as he broke Baseball’s color barrier. The program focuses on nine values: Courage, Teamwork, Determination, Persistence, Integrity, Citizenship, Justice, Commitment and Excellence.
Fifth grader Asma, 10, wrote about how she maintained her integrity while facing discrimination and bullying for wearing a hijab, as per her Muslim culture. Eighth grader Eliza, 14, described her battle with anorexia nervosa, a potentially life-threatening eating disorder, and how she relied on persistence to overcome her inner turmoil and conflict barrier. Sharon Robinson will accompany Asma and Eliza as they are recognized at the 90th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, and the 2019 World Series, respectively.
In addition to recognizing Asma and Eliza, the Breaking Barriers essay contest is also announcing its MVP winners. The full list of 10 national winners is below:
Grand Prize Winners
Asma Kaukab, Grade 5, Valley Stream, N.Y.
Eliza Smith, Grade 8, Surgoinsville, Tenn.
MVP Prize Winners (Grades 4–6)
Zoe Wolfe, Grade 5, North Canton, Ohio
Hafsa Asghar, Grade 5, Valley Steam, N.Y.
Jetta Osceola, Grade 5, Okeechobee, Fla.
Karen Solis, Grade 6, El Monte, Calif.
MVP Prize Winners (Grades 7–9)
Sam Ray, Grade 8, Willcox, Ariz.
Gabrielle Antonia Porter, Grade 8, West Bloomfield, Mich.
Colin Jennings, Grade 7, Kalona, Iowa
Rebekah Lane, Grade 8, Hartville, Ohio
Each of the 10 prize winners and their respective teachers will receive a new laptop computer, courtesy of Microsoft, as well as additional prizes for their classes, including Breaking Barriers t-shirts and books written by Sharon Robinson. Each of the Grand Prize winners will also receive a personal visit from Robinson.
“It is with great pride that we announce 10 talented writers as winners of the 2019 Breaking Barriers Contest,” said Sharon Robinson. “Each year, we are genuinely impressed by the level of courage and self-awareness demonstrated in these essays. Not only have these writers navigated extremely powerful barriers in their young lives, but despite it all, they have remained positive and exhibited an enormous amount of personal growth. We are beyond excited to welcome this year’s winners to the Breaking Barriers family!”
Sharon Robinson is the author of several widely praised nonfiction books and novels for children. Her forthcoming novel Child of the Dream, is a memoir about turning 13 years old in 1963—with an inside look at the Robinson family and Sharon’s attempts to discover her place in the fight for equality and justice—and will be published by Scholastic in September 2019.
Since its inception in 1997, Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life has reached more than 37 million children and 5 million educators in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information on Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life, please visit MLB.com/breakingbarriers.
MLB is commemorating the centennial celebration of Jackie Robinson’s birth throughout 2019, with League and Club efforts complementing activities led by the Jackie Robinson Foundation. This includes a year-long schedule honoring Jackie’s legacy in baseball and throughout society, including the Breaking Barriers educational program.