Heritage Harbour history buff wins prize

Hannah Arduini is becoming an authority on Eleanor Roosevelt.

Since she won the state History Fair competition in May with her paper on the political figure, the Carlos E. Haile Middle School student became even more of an expert on Roosevelt as she revamped her historical paper, "Eleanor Roosevelt: The Legacy of Her Leadership in Human Rights."

After months of research, Hannah presented her essay at the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day contest June 14 through June 18 in Washington D.C. She won the Special Magna Carta Prize, which earned her a medal and a $1,000 cash prize.

She shared the moment with her mother, Doreen, who traveled with her to the competition, and her grandparents, Frank and Marcia Albert, who traveled from Connecticut to attend the competition.

"I have gained so many valuable skills that will stay with me for the rest of my life," Hannah said. "I get to meet people from all over the world, and I feel blessed knowing that more than 600,000 students nationwide participated in this contest, and I won the special prize."