Sponsored by:

Fifth Grade Winner – Valor South Austin – Bethlehem Dollahon

If I ruled the world, I would focus on helping kids find families through international adoption. Adoption is very close to my heart, because I was adopted. Until I was two years old, I lived in an orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The orphanage was full of toddlers who needed families. Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, there was a family that wanted another kid. They decided to adopt me, and now I have a fun, big, loud, loving family. There are still millions of kids worldwide who need loving families! It broke my heart when I figured that out because I want everyone to have a good, fun life.

When my parents were adopting me, it was so expensive! So, if I ruled the world, I would put down the prices so more families can afford to adopt kids.

Then I would work on ending corruption in international adoption. Corruption is when people make money off of something they’re not supposed to. You might be thinking, what will I do? I would promote good ethics in the adoption center where families adopt and where the kids live.

Right now, every country has different paperwork and rules to adopt. The last action I’ll do is to streamline all the rules and paperwork. Then, it will be easier and faster for the kids to find their loving, forever families.

There are so many things you could do if you ruled the world but this is what I’ll do; fix international adoption, because it’s amazing to be in a family that loves you and supports you, and every kid in the world should have that.

Fourth Grade Winner – Brentwood Elementary School – Avery Stuart

Have you ever wanted to help with inequality or racism? If I ruled the world, nobody would be rejected. Nobody would be alone with nothing to become. Everyone would have a purpose in our world. No matter race, religion, clothing, wealth, or gender, everyone would be the same, but different in beautiful ways. Everyone accepts everyone. Everyone would have someone to go to. To rely on. To look to in times of need. In times of sorrow. Someone who doesn’t care what you look like. Who you are.

If I ruled the world, this is what one day would be like in a world with equality. I’d wake up in a house, not a mansion, or a castle, because I don’t need such a thing. I get dressed in a blue Art Class shirt with ruffled sleeves and jean shorts with white lace on them. I know it doesn’t sound as glamorous as you would imagine, but even if you do rule the world, you don’t have to live a life with three thousand beautiful gowns, and a mansion all to yourself. You can live a regular life. I would live a pretty ordinary life, except for one thing. That little thing that isn’t in our world right now is equality. That would change in my world.

If I ruled the world, I would have no people on the street, no dogs in a shelter. No cats getting lost in the winter, and no people getting lost and losing their way back. No rabbit getting trapped in a pen, no human trapped doing work for nothing. No horse left hungry, no human with no food.

If I ruled the world, everyone and everything would be welcome. And it would be my world to create.

Fifth Grade Runner Up – Harmony School of Science – Rani Upreti

If I ruled the world I would sail through the seas. I would make sure that I’m putting others before myself after all that’s what being a ruler is about. Being a ruler is also like being a leader,but you’ve got to be very cautious and loyal to the people and even the animals. If I ruled the world I’d be a leader and put others before myself and care for the people and the animals because animals are like humans they eat, sleep, and they also have feelings and that’s what’s most important about being a leader you’ve got to think about how others will feel.

If I ruled the world I would run through the meadows and see the view from the valley watching the town’s people laughing and sharing moments with one another.If I ruled the world I’d open a variety of schools and each one of them would be different. One
school would be for kids who are deaf, mute,and blind.

If I ruled the world I’d be an example to kids because being a ruler is like being a leader, but you rule the world and you’re not just leading the kids,but the adults. If I ruled the world I wouldn’t judge someone based on how they look but how they act towards others and how they treat their loved ones. If I ruled the world I’d make a place called the new generation where young kids can go and see how the world was like decades ago. If I ruled the world I’d live in the countryside in a 2-story house near the valley.

If I ruled the world I’d show everyone that there’s always light in the dark, remember that.

Fourth Grade Runner Up- Elsa England Elementary School – Aaliyana Abdullah

A dolphin beached on the surface. An abandoned forest filled with nothing but tree stumps. A green lake with bottles and other litter floating in it. This is today. Now imagine a future where this gets worse. If I was in charge, I would make the world a better place for those without voice––the animals!

Bees help plants grow and are responsible for 80% of all the plant pollination but they are disappearing fast due to human activity. Without bees the food chain could become unbalanced. The loss of plants would affect the wildlife too since that is their food source. To prevent that, I will make laws to plant more bee gardens and homes and use less chemicals.

Did you know that every day 12 species go extinct and every 22 hours a rhino is killed? Hunting, deforestation, climate change, and littering all cause such problems. I would build safe habitats for the endangered animals and give funds to zoos to take care of them.

Boating, overfishing, and pollution endanger the lives of sea animals. I will create separate lakes just for boating purposes, and make rules to reduce the use of gas, water, and energy. Chopping down trees leads to habitat loss––one of the main reasons why animals are endangered. Trees are also a source of oxygen. Losing them will hurt our planet. With 50% of our earth’s trees gone, I would plant more trees and encourage people to do the same. I will also put rules in place to grow native plants that help the wildlife.

If I ruled the world, my days would be spent in helping animals and getting rid of the earth’s waste. I want to live and breathe in a world which is safe for both man and wildlife.