Boothbay Region High School sophomore Kylie Brown recently won $500 in the Jackson Laboratory (JAX) DNA Day Essay Contest. The contest was held through JAX program Teaching the Genome Generation and the top three essays went into a national contest through the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG). Second and third place prizes went to students from Oxford Hills Comprehensive and Medomak Valley high schools.

To get honors credit for BRHS science teacher Sherrie Hersom's biology class, students had to enter their essays in a contest. The prompt for ASHG’s National DNA Day Essay Contest was hypothetical: A man diagnosed with Huntington's disease has decided not to tell his 25-year-old daughter.

“He didn't want his genetic counselor to disclose that information to her and we were supposed to take a point on whether or not he should tell his daughter,” said Brown.

Essayists had to read a pamphlet on the differences between rights, duties and goals. Brown felt that while the man does not have to disclose his condition to his daughter, it was his duty. Because the disease becomes more deadly as it passes from generation to generation, he should tell his daughter despite wanting her to live without the worry and stress, Brown maintained. Though she stuck to her argument, Brown said she could still appreciate the man’s rationale.

“I learned different perspectives. If I had a disease, I would want to tell my kid, but now I know that some people might not want to because they don't want to add stress to their kid's life and worry them when it's unnecessary,” said Brown.

Brown had not seen any of the essays hers went up against. But she said the learning environment of her classroom helped as she and her peers reviewed and critiqued one another's work. The essay took a great deal of research and deep thinking, so she was delighted to learn her hard work paid off, she said.

Asked what she thinks she wants to do after high school, Brown said she has been looking at colleges, but has not settled on where she might want to go.

“I think I want to do something with engineering, definitely in the science and mathematics field. I'm just not quite sure exactly what yet.”