KAHULUI — A Maui High School sophomore was awarded a $100 prize for an essay she wrote and read out loud during Saturday's dedication of the new Patsy Takemoto Mink field on the Maui High campus, The Maui News reported.

Dana Shiroma, 15, of Kahului, wrote this about the late U.S. representative from Maui:

"Some people call her a trailblazer or pioneer, but she actually was much more: a small town girl who followed her dreams to Washington, D.C., in order to make life better for our nation, a role model for all."

Shiroma continued: "People who didn't know her personally were grateful for the changes she made for society, and now certainly miss her."

Mink was Maui High's 1945 class valedictorian and the sponsor of 1973 landmark legislation, the Title IX Amendment of the federal Higher Education Act. It has since been renamed the Patsy T. Mink Education and Opportunity Act.

The law paved the way for new athletic programs and educational opportunities that had not been available to girls and women.

Mink, a 74-year-old Democrat, died Sept. 28, 2002, at Straub Clinic and Hospital on Oahu. She had been treated for nearly a month for viral pneumonia stemming from chickenpox.

Shiroma and 13 other classmates in her Advanced Placement U.S. History class researched and wrote essays to submit for a first-time contest sponsored by the Friends of Old Maui High. The volunteer nonprofit organization has a mission to restore the school campus in Hamakuapoko and have part of it converted into a resource education facility.

Students had less than three weeks to compile information and fulfill an essay requirement where they had to conduct a live interview with someone connected to Mink or who knew of her.

Shiroma interviewed her auntie, Sachan Yagi, and her grandmother, Yukie Shiroma, both of whom spoke highly of Mink. "She was an intelligent person; it's so sad she had to leave us so soon," Yagi said.

Shiroma said she didn't know much about Mink until she completed her essay. "After doing the research, I learned she was an incredible person."

Shiroma plays the clarinet in her school's marching band, pep band and concert band. She's also a member of the Key Club. She's considering studies in graphic design or journalism after high school.

For more Maui news, visit http://www.mauinews.com/default.aspx">The Maui News.