Congratulations to Vivian Y. for winning first place in our June Go, Discover, Inspire Student Storytelling Contest! Read on to see how Vivian imagines a perfect evening with her friends on the enchanting Silver Strand Beach in County Donegal, Ireland.

Thank you to every individual who participated in our Student Storytelling Contest, and congratulations to each of our monthly winners!

Congratulations to our June contest winner, Vivian!

As I think about the endless amount of places I dream to see for myself, nothing tops the beautiful scenery of Silver Strand Beach in County Donegal, Ireland. I imagine standing along the shorelines of the horseshoe-shaped beach, feeling the cool, pale sand against the soles of my feet. “The reason the sand is cool is because it doesn’t trap the sun’s energy, but instead reflects it,” is something I can already hear one of my friends say. I would feel my heart smile, finally being able to experience the non-heat absorbing sand that every one of my teachers would use as an example when explaining solar radiation. 

As the blue waves crash and recede, I’d feel the cold, refreshing sea water tickle my toes. It’s almost like a ritual, dipping my toes in the water, as I’ve remembered doing it at every beach I’ve visited since the day I was born; I could do it with my hands behind my back. But this time it’s different, because instead of having my family with me, I would have my friends by my side. I'd take a deep breath as the crisp ocean air filled my lungs and take one last look at the glowing, fiery sunset, as illuminating as a camp bonfire. One last look before being met with a bucket full of salty ocean water to the face, of course, as that erupts at the start of a water fight. The only things I would hear then are the once calm and serene water (now being rampaging and being splashed among five people), the laughter of said people, and the ocean breeze whistling through the healthy green grass on the hills that surround the beach.  

After cleaning up and eating like kings and queens with our private barbeque, we would set up to watch the remainder of the now brighter than ever sunset that illuminated the sky on the back of a large SUV, decorating it with scented fake candles and fluffy stuffed animals, almost like the pillow fortresses we would make as kids. Water that now ranged from different shades of blue and purple stretched for miles on end, and we could see it all so clearly at the highest and farthest point of the well-fertilized horseshoe hill. Listening to the gentle calls of seagulls that seem thousands of feet away, the gentle crashes of the waves, and the faint sizzle of our cooling barbeque, we would talk and joke as we bask our faces in what’s left of the golden light. We’d have fallen asleep from the sheer exhaustion of socializing when nightfall comes in our cute and comfy pillow fortress, seeing the stars glowing above the dark waves dance. I would fall asleep thinking, “Is this a dream?” which, for now it’ll remain like that. But, when I can make this dream a reality, I would sleep knowing that it was a dream come true. 

Thank you to every individual who participated in our Student Storytelling Contest, and congratulations to each of our monthly winners! Stay tuned to find out which school earned a $1,000 bursary to be used on a future Brightspark trip.