Lee County Sixth Grader Honored at Governor’s Mansion for Black History Month Essay
Saije Wade Cody, a sixth grader at Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School, was recently recognized as one of six statewide winners in Florida’s Black History Month Student Essay Contest, and for Saije, it was a first in more ways than one.
 “I usually never really won an award before,” she said with a smile. “So I was just so happy.”
 Her first award happened to be a big one. Saije was among a select group of winners invited to the Florida Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee, where the contest results were announced at a reception. Winners stayed in a hotel provided by the Governor and were transported by bus to the mansion for the evening’s celebration. When her name was called, Saije walked up, took a photo with the Governor, and was recognized in front of award winners from across the state.
 The annual contest, made possible through a collaboration between the Florida Department of Education, Volunteer Florida, the Florida Lottery, and the Florida Prepaid College Foundation, invited students in grades four through twelve to submit essays based on this year’s theme, “Celebrating Black History.” Six winners were selected across elementary, middle, and high school divisions. Each winner received a two-year Florida College Plan scholarship and a $200 school supply gift card.
 Saije’s essay focused on Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician known for her extraordinary ability to calculate complex flight trajectories, often in her head. “When I saw that she was like a human calculator at NASA, I was just so surprised,” Saije said. “Usually people would have to write it all down first, but she would just do it in her head.”
 The topic was suggested by her teacher, Ms. Quinlan, and the more Saije researched, the more inspired she became.
 She also came away with a memorable bonus: a chance encounter with Miss Florida, who was also in attendance. “Ariana was the first one to see her,” Saije recalled, laughing. “And she was like, that’s Miss Florida, so we went over and took a picture with her.”
 When asked why Black History Month matters, Saije’s answer was simple and sincere: “It’s to tell us about what these people have done, what they protested for, and how they changed laws. It’s about what they’ve done for us.”
 Her advice to other students? Keep writing. “They should keep writing more essays because they can have more opportunities to learn about the person and to win.”