At initial meeting one might not think Brooklin Werner much different than other 11-year-olds. Most recently, however, the Magnolia sixth grader not only demonstrated her gift but perhaps the reason she was approached by teacher Roberto Cazares to participate in the Daughters of the American Revolution American History Essay Contest.

Earlier this month, Brooklin was named the winner of the countywide contest for her narrative essay on the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, an amendment that gave women the right to vote.

Participants were challenged to discuss the pros and cons of the amendment ratified Aug.18, 1920 in 600 to 1,000 words.

Not originally familiar with this historical addition to the constitution, Brooklin used the power of the world wide web to google search articles, as well as fact check. Her essay was a narrative of a woman living during this time and what her daily life was like pre- and post-ratification of the amendment.

“I wanted a challenge,” the sixth grader said, “and this was a challenge because I knew nothing about it.”

The 11-year-old additionally shared her narrative only took a handful of days to write, yet she used additional time to edit and refine her work. Her submitted essay totaled over 1200 words.

“It really didn’t take me that long because when I write narratives, I kind of make it up as I go, which I love doing,” she said.

An active member of Valley Home 4-H, the Magnolia student shared the notion of constructing an essay of 600 to 1,000 words was not intimidating. She had prior experience of writing a five page speech to present to the 4-H group.

“It kind of didn’t make that much sense,” she said of learning of the 19th Amendment. “So much was going on in those times you would’ve thought somebody would have stepped up and said something about it.

“They (women) didn’t get their freedom and rights until not that long ago, which I thought was interesting,” Brooklin added.

As reward for her essay submission, the sixth grader attended an awards event the Double Tree in Modesto where she was presented with a number of award certificates, as well as a small monetary award.

“It felt really good (to win) because sometimes I think of myself as a ‘bridesmaid’ because I usually get second or third in stuff,” Brooklin confided.

As for the future of this natural writer and speech enthusiast, the student shared she has multiple passions in varying subjects so the verdict of future career endeavors is still to be determined.

The Daughters of the American Revolution is a not for profit, non-political, volunteer women’s service group.