FFRF disburses more than $17,000 to First in the Family student essay winners
Tags:Freedom From Religion Foundation, Politics, Religion
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is proud to announce the 11 top winners and nine honorable mentions of the 2026 David Hudak Memorial First in the Family Student Essay Competition. FFRF has paid out a total of $17,650 in award money for the contest this year.
Students who will be first in their family to attend either a two- or four-year college or university and who are ages 17–21 were asked to write on the topic of “Why white supremacy goes hand in hand with Christian nationalism.”
Winners, their ages, the colleges or universities they are attending and the award amounts are listed below. (FFRF seeks to distribute essay scholarship monies to a higher number of students, so ties are not regarded in the typical tie fashion.) The winning essays are linked below.
FIRST PLACE
Nyla Woods, 21, University of Kansas, $3,500.
SECOND PLACE
Isaiah Lopez Ruiz, 21, Paradise Valley Community College, $3,000.
THIRD PLACE
Anastasia Gonzalez, 19, Harvard University, $2,500.
FOURTH PLACE
Angelle Jean-Pierre, 18, Howard University, $2,000.
FIFTH PLACE
Antonio Drain, 18, University of Central Oklahoma, $1,500.
SIXTH PLACE
Carina Reyes-Ortiz, 18, West Chester University, $1,000.
SEVENTH PLACE
Cha’Miah Phoenix, 19, UCLA, $750.
EIGHTH PLACE
Yusef Houssein, 19, Saint Joseph University, $500.
NINTH PLACE (tie)
Jayda Gaither, 18, East Carolina University, $400.
Samani Ismail, 18, University of Berkeley, $400.
TENTH PLACE
Laila Coutou, 20, New York University, $300.
HONORABLE MENTION ($200 each)
Mariana Catalan, 18, University of Houston
Christine Cowing, 18, Montana State University – Billings
Brooklyn Dosen, 21, Cochise College
Cash Guello, 18, University of North Georgia
Gabrielle Horsley, 18, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Jackson Manis, 18, University of Texas
Iman Merchent, 17, University of Texas
Kira Saintvil, 18, Rochester Institute of Technology
Kason Steward, 18, Sacramento State University
FFRF thanks Lisa Treu for managing the infinite details of this (and FFRF’s other essay competitions). FFRF would also like to thank our volunteer and staff readers and judges, including: Don Ardell, Dan Barker, David Chivers, Wrenna Fine, Jon Galehouse, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Ricki Grunberg, Susan Haines, Linda Josheff, Kevin Kirby, Jeffrey LaVicka, Sammi Lawrence, Robert Leonhard, Tom Ludwinski, Katya Maes, David Malcolm, Tori Mizerak, Jason Mosebach, Henry Mongrain, Chris O’Connell, Andrea Osburne, Brooks Rimes, Kathy Rogers, Rose Mary Sheldon, PJ Slinger, Michelle Smith and Matthew Woodruff.
This contest is named for the late David Hudak, an FFRF member who left a bequest to generously fund a student essay contest.
FFRF has offered essay competitions to students of color (now first in the family to attend college) since 2016. It has also offered essay contests open to all college students since 1979, college-bound high school seniors since 1994, grad students since 2010 and one for law students since 2019.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With about 41,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
The post FFRF disburses more than $17,000 to First in the Family student essay winners appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.
FFRF’s ‘Secular Spotlight’ charts an ex-pastor’s journey to nonbelief
Tags:Freedom From Religion Foundation, Politics, Religion
The latest episode of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s “Secular Spotlight” YouTube show tells the story of former Evangelical Pastor Timmy Gibson’s journey to atheism.
Gibson joins FFRF Co-President Dan Barker to discuss his climb from decades in Christian ministry to atheism. They also talk about faith healing, prayer, morality, meaning, near-death experiences — and how Gibson found purpose and fulfillment outside of Christianity.
“My pursuit of truth is what led me away,” Gibson states. “It was like I was finding less and less that I could teach with conviction out of the bible. And pretty soon it just got to the point where I’m like, ‘I don’t believe any of this, I can’t do this anymore.’”
You can catch this episode of “Secular Spotlight” on FFRF’s YouTube channel, as well as by watching on your smart TV after downloading FFRF’s free app, Freethought TV, which also highlights FFRF’s other video programming. Our previous episodes include a deep dive into the legacy of Robert G. Ingersoll, one of America’s most important freethinkers, and a discussion with Uncloseted Media Editor-in-Chief Spencer Macnaughton about his revealing interview with Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson (a mentor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth). Make sure you’re subscribed to FFRF’s YouTube channel for all the latest updates!
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 40,000 members across the country, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
The post FFRF’s ‘Secular Spotlight’ charts an ex-pastor’s journey to nonbelief appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.
