Hello,

My name is Seraphina and I’m 10 years old. This year, in 4th grade, I am competing and have competed in the History Bee. I love history and, to me, it’s very interesting. I’m also very competitive, so I looked forward to the Bee from the start of 4th Grade, though I didn’t know how far I would get. I ended up doing well enough to compete in Regionals, and got 2nd place! This also qualified for Nationals in Washington D.C. in June and Internationals in Rome, Italy in July.

But, they’re both expensive. We’re going to Nationals, but my parents are both working extra hours to make it work, but, even then, it’ll be hard, and $3,500. Even if there weren’t the expense of lodging, the History Bee itself costs money, which I don’t understand because competitors have already worked hard to get to Nationals, and deserve to be there. We’re driving to Washington D.C., instead of flying to save money. And then there’s Internationals. My mom said that’s around $10,000. And we can’t really save up for it, either, because we’d only have a few months, and who knows when I’ll get the chance again? We definitely don’t have enough money for that, even though I’d really love to go.

So, I’m asking for some money so it will be financially easier for me to go to Nationals, and so that I might be able to miraculously go to Internationals. If it were to happen, I’d study hard for the Bee to make sure it would count. The money is needed to pay for the road trip, lodging, and the Bee itself. It will also be necessary because there are 4 of us, including me.

I’d also like you to do this because I am passionate about doing the History Bee and doing this in such a large scale would mean a lot. Additionally, I am one of only two girls that were in the Regionals Finals I participated in. This was traditionally a boy-dominated competition, but I think that that should change.

Thank you for your consideration and the time you’ve taken to read this.

Sincerely,

Seraphina Elverum Buxton