Leesburg encourages students to enter If I Were a Mayor Contest

The Town of Leesburg invites local 7th and 8th grade students to enter the Virginia Municipal League’s If I Were Mayor essay contest.

Students are asked to identify a problem within their community, gather feedback from community members, and offer a proposed solution, which must be presented in a typed essay between 300 and 500 words.

Regional winners selected from around the state will each receive a $150 gift card and a plaque. One statewide winner chosen from the regional winners will receive a $250 gift card and a plaque. The runner-up from the region that receives the statewide award will become that region’s winner.

A student from Leesburg has been the regional winner the last two years. Leia Hatem was the region winner in 2024 with her essay on potential solutions to address impacts from flight activity at Leesburg Executive Airport. In her 2025 winning essay, Caroline Le explored solutions to traffic congestion along Rt. 15 North.

“This is a great opportunity for our local 7th and 8th grade students to imagine themselves as Leesburg’s
mayor where they can identify an issue, and problem solve a solution for their community,” said Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk. “I can’t wait to read the great ideas that will come from the essays. If there is a really good idea maybe we can work together.”

The contest is open to 7th and 8th students from VML member municipalities. Both the Town of Leesburg and Loudoun County are VML member municipalities. All entries must be received by Monday, March 23. Visit https://www.vml.org/Opportunities/Essay-Contest for full details.

Winning essays will be featured in the May issue of VML’s magazine Virginia Town & City.