Senior Taylor Scifres won the top award in the Clinton Foundation “Ideas Matter” essay contest, which includes  a $2,500 college scholarship and a meeting with President Bill Clinton.

The contest is a 500-word essay for Arkansas students in eleventh and twelfth grade writing about topics involving increasing opportunity for girls and women, improving childhood health, creating economic opportunity, and growth and helping communities address race relations.

“I wrote  [about] how domestic violence affects the opportunities for women and children,” Scifres said. “It took me [over] a month to write this piece.”

Scifres is attending University of Arkansas at Little Rock in the fall.

“I’m going to UALR because they gave me the most money,” Scifres said. “I’m going there so that way I can save for graduate school and get into the Donaghey program I applied to.”

Tara Seale helped Scifres with her essay both emotionally and grammatically.

“[Taylor] did all of the hard work, I was just there to nudge and prod her along,” Seale said. “Taylor makes these great expressive reactions, really overly dramatized, especially when I would find a reason that she needed to rewrite just one more time, but I have to say, she always rewrote it.”

Seale did not know whether Scifres would actually win, but was hopeful that she would place.

“It was a thrilling and emotional moment for both of us when we found out,” Seale said. “Watching a student see the reward for her efforts is the best part of teaching.”