A WACO student won a regional essay contest and is invited to meet with Governor Kim Reynolds. WACO Seventh-grader Alyssa Ferdig’s essay received first place in the southeast Iowa region for the statewide If I Were Mayor essay contest. The contest asks students to write a one-page essay on what they would do if they were mayor. The Iowa League of Cities oversees the contest, and selects one seventh grader from each of the four Iowa congressional districts to win a $250 college scholarship.

Ferdig and the three other winners are invited to the State Capitol Thursday afternoon for a ceremony. At this ceremony students will be recognized for their essays and get to meet Governor Reynolds.