Last year’s Great Galesburg Shake winner Sara Saey announced GHS North Senior Lakota Beach as winner of the 2016 shake tonight.
After the announcement, Beach told WGIL the honor had an emotional impact.
“I feel very loved,” she said, fighting back tears. “And also very grateful just for the opportunity itself, everything as a whole, from the first round til now.”
The contest began last Wednesday and saw 90 District 205 students show off their communication skills, etiquette and ability to deliver a good ol’ handshake. Among the highlights was a trip to Washington, D.C. where the top five students met Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Tammy Duckworth as well as other lawmakers.
And what did Beach think of her time in D.C?
“It was amazing, it was real life, it was something I’ve obviously never seen before,” she said. “It was somewhere I would like to definitely go again.”
Before accepting her prize, which included an engraved Chromebook, flowers and other goodies, Beach gave a big hug to the runner up, GHS student Jacob Williams.
