March is now upon us and with this month brings Women’s History Month.

In honor of this, Cerritos College’s gender studies faculty is hosting a writing contest.

Dr. Linda Palumbo, an English professor said, “We coordinate with the national theme each year for women’s history month in designing the essay topics.”

Any student at the college may enter to win. The first place prize winner gets $200, second place will receive $150, third place will receive $100 and honorable mention gets $50.

The contest is funded by the Cerritos College Foundation.

Winners will be announced in April in the Daily Falcon.

According to the National Women’s History Project, the theme for this year is “Celebrating Women of Character, Courage and Commitment.”

The judges of the contest will include members of the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, classified staff and students.

The essay must be composed of 750 words and about a woman who deserves to be written into the history books on the basis of the theme of Women’s History Month.

This woman can either be dead, alive or even fictional if the writer chooses to do so and her contribution can be from any field, but the essay must include this woman’s achievement and why she should have a prominent place in history.

Laura Gonzalez, whose major is undecided, said that if she were to write about a woman in history, she would write her essay on Rosa Parks.

“She was a brave woman. [Rosa Parks] made me realize that nobody can take anyway anyone’s privileges,” said Gonzalez.

The deadline to enter the contest is Friday by 5 p.m. and the essay must be placed in Palumbo’s mailbox along with an electronic copy of the essay placed onto turnitin.com.

Anyone who is interested in entering the contest is encouraged to contact Dr. Palumbo or Professor Julie Davis through their emails for further information.