Rising Senior Selected as North Texas Regional Winner in Essay Challenge

Congratulations to rising senior Josh Rubel for being selected as the North Texas Regional Winner in the DEAR EVAN HANSEN "You Will Be Found" Essay Challenge, sponsored by Performing Arts Fort Worth, Gotham Writers Workshop, and the Broadway Education Alliance.Rubel will receive a $2,500 cash prize that can be used towards college admission, school expenses, etc. along with tickets to see DEAR EVAN HANSEN in Fort Worth in January, an official DEAR EVAN HANSEN merchandise package, and the inclusion of his essay in the digital/print playbill for the premiere of Fort Worth engagement of DEAR EVAN HANSEN.The DEAR EVAN HANSEN essay contest invited 11th and 12th grade students from across the country to write a college-application style essay that describes how they channeled the theme of "You Will Be Found" to ensure those around them were a little less alone over the last year, or, alternatively, a moment where they found comfort in connection. Nearly 4,000 high school students took part in the essay contest, and out of the 172 entries from the North Texas region, four entries were narrowed down to the finalists based on an average score. With four finalists left in the contest, Performing Arts Fort Worth enlisted an outside panel of nine judges that read and scored the regional essays, naming Rubel's the winner.Congratulations Josh for this outstanding award!