What did you most enjoy about the process of researching and writing your essay?
I found it very eye-opening to look into the statistics and news reports which were not as publicised. For instance, I was able to uncover disturbing conversations between Russian soldiers which had been intercepted by PBS reporters, and genocidal attacks that had been knowingly pushed forward by Russian military.
I also enjoyed the experience of sculpting my argument over a long period of time. I think people underestimate the benefit of time in competitions such as these; and while I could have used more time, I was able to revisit and take breaks between writing. This was vital in terms of enabling me to accurately pinpoint mistakes and pitfalls in my writing.
