The Virginia Municipal League (VML) announced last week that Viktorija Gobush of Urbanna won the Region 8 “If I Were Mayor” essay contest.
The contest, hosted by VML, drew hundreds of entries from seventh graders throughout the state. The challenge to the students was to identify an issue in their locality, talk to others about possible solutions, and then identify what solution would best address the issue.
“VML’s ‘If I were Mayor Essay Contest” is a way to stimulate interest among young people in public service by encouraging them to think about the issues bubbling up in their communities,” said Joe Flores, VML’s director of fiscal policy. Flores was in Urbanna on May 11 to present the award to Gobush during the Urbanna Town Council meeting.
Viktorija Gobush was born in Latvia and adopted with her sister by Urbanna residents Gari Lister and Matt Gobush in 2017. English is her third language. Her original language was Russian, and she was forced to learn Latvian in foster care. She is a seventh grader at St. Clare Walker Middle School, where she is part of the National Honor Society and is secretary of the student government. She loves animals, art and babysitting her siblings. Viktorija is pronounced “Victoria.”
In addition to a VML certificate, each regional winner will receive a gift card for $150. All winning essays will be featured in the May issue of VML’s magazine Virginia Town & City.
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