PSHS junior wins essay contest for challenging the perception of nursing homes

Most people don’t associate nursing homes with optimism. McRae Stephenson just proved why they should. 

The Philip Simmons High School junior and Daniel Island resident recently earned first place in the South Carolina District 22 Optimist International Essay Contest, winning a $2,500 scholarship and publication in The Optimist magazine. She was recognized at the Optimist Club Oratorical Contest on April 25, where she read her essay and received her award. Read her essay here.

This year’s theme, “How My Acts of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means to Me,” asked students to reflect on service in their own lives. For Stephenson, that answer came from volunteering in a nursing home alongside her grandfather, an experience that reshaped her understanding of connection. 

“In sharing the experience I had at the nursing homes, I felt I was able to bring to light the reality of what it means when you have a family member in an assisted living environment,” Stephenson said. “I didn’t have much to go on when I found out my grandpa had to go into a nursing home, but when I experienced where he was living, I knew he was almost in his element.” 

Her essay challenges the common perception of nursing homes as somber places, instead highlighting moments of humor and human connection. Through helping with bingo games, working on puzzles, or simply sitting and listening, Stephenson discovered a quieter, more enduring form of community. 

“Writing this essay was extremely personal to me because it was based on an experience that had such a strong impact on my life and perspective,” Stephenson said. “(Being selected) for Optimist International’s magazine is especially meaningful because it allows me to share my grandpa’s story and hopefully help others see the importance of connection, compassion, and optimism in everyday life.” 

Stephenson, who has long used writing as a creative outlet, said, “I hope people take away the importance of spending time with others and the impact that small acts of kindness and connection can have. Nursing homes are often viewed in a negative light, but my experience showed me they can also be places filled with friendship, humor, and genuine care.” 

Her English teacher, Laura Garner, said the essay’s emotional impact was undeniable. 

“McRae’s essay had obviously benefited from strategies modeled in many texts read throughout the course, but it isn't often that a student is capable of internalizing and applying those strategies so thoroughly,” Garner said. “I was amazed at the emotional impact of her essay. I found myself unable to read it without tears. I am just so proud of her and absolutely thrilled at how much she has grown.” 

District Essay Chair Elisa Hutto Thompson agreed. “McRae did a wonderful job of articulating this year’s theme. She expressed herself well through the essay and deserved the honor of first place.” 

Stephenson said the recognition is meaningful, but the message matters more: even in life’s quietest spaces, optimism has a way of showing up.